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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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a city
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — a path
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. content — happy
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cold — an illness
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. capital — money
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cold — not warm

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