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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. scale — size or range
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. track — a path
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. drill — a practice
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. drill — the tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. drill — army training
  15. track — to keep track
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. scale — in music
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — for money
  21. track — a song
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bank — of a river
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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