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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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 — a city
  2. club — a group
  3. land — ground
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. club — for golf
  7. bound — certain
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mark — a grade
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. land — a country
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. club — for dancing
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. capital — money
  21. bound — tied together
  22. land — to come down
  23. wake — a trail
  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