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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — music
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. capital — money
  9. capital — a city
  10. track — a song
  11. rush — hurry
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. ball — a dance
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. ball — a great time
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. march — the month
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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