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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. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. wound — an injury
  3. track — a path
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — the month
  6. wound — an injury
  7. march — the month
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. march — music
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pit — a hole
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — money
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — to keep track
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pound — for dogs

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