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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. suit — clothes
  5. drill — the tool
  6. cell — in biology
  7. rest — a break
  8. field — farmland
  9. suit — to fit
  10. bank — of a river
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. field — for sport
  13. suit — in cards
  14. capital — a city
  15. rest — what's left
  16. bank — for money
  17. drill — a practice
  18. rest — what's left
  19. drill — army training
  20. track — a path
  21. field — a subject
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — a song

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