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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. can — a tin
  4. tube — the underground
  5. track — a path
  6. tube — a container
  7. track — a song
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. hand — in cards
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. hand — help
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pop — music
  19. pop — to visit
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pop — soda
  22. mine — for digging
  23. capital — a city
  24. can — to be able to

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