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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. track — a song
  4. spring — the season
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. capital — money
  8. pound — a weight
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. track — to keep track
  12. capital — a city
  13. lean — to bend
  14. spring — of water
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. spring — a coil
  19. cell — a phone
  20. spell — letters
  21. lean — thin
  22. spell — magic
  23. mark — a grade
  24. track — a path

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