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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. capital — a city
  3. land — a country
  4. shower — to wash
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. land — to come down
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. face — to confront
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. shower — rain
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. suit — to fit
  14. capital — money
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. land — ground
  20. face — part of the head
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. face — to point toward
  24. calf — of the leg

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