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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — money
  10. ball — a great time
  11. plane — a tool
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. game — a match
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. capital — a city
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cabinet — ministers

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