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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mate — to breed
  4. track — a song
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. mate — a partner
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. can — a tin
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — employees
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. capital — a city
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. mark — a grade
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. track — to keep track

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