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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. capital — a city
  3. ball — a dance
  4. date — the fruit
  5. track — a path
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. capital — money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — moving air
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a song
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. stand — to bear
  19. content — happy
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ball — a great time
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. stand — on your feet

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