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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — of ice
  3. kid — to tease
  4. capital — a city
  5. bank — for money
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. kid — child
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. charge — electricity
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bank — for money
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bank — of a river
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. capital — money
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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