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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. capital — a city
  3. track — to keep track
  4. plane — a tool
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. capital — money
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. stem — to come from
  19. ground — the earth
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — crushed
  22. track — a path
  23. ground — a position
  24. bay — a part of the sea

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com