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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. club — a group
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — to confront
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. present — the time now
  12. club — for golf
  13. capital — money
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pound — a weight
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. present — there
  22. capital — a city
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. rush — to hurry

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