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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — the fish
  4. capital — a city
  5. track — to keep track
  6. wind — moving air
  7. root — the cause
  8. firm — a company
  9. bear — the animal
  10. root — of a word
  11. bear — the animal
  12. firm — steady
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. capital — money
  15. bass — low music
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. wind — moving air
  19. firm — decided
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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