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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pop — music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a city
  8. pound — a weight
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. can — a tin
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. can — a tin
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. stem — to come from
  17. chair — a leader
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. pop — to visit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. pop — soda

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