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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. firm — decided
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chair — a leader
  8. track — a path
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. firm — a company
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — money
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. firm — steady
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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