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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 116 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. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. capital — a city
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. chair — a leader
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. deal — to handle
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. track — a song
  17. capital — money
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. ball — a great time
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. track — a path
  24. ball — a dance

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