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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. bear — the animal
  3. capital — money
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. stand — to bear
  6. saw — the tool
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. capital — a city
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bear — the animal
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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