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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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — a partner
  4. track — a path
  5. capital — money
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. capital — a city
  9. content — the amount
  10. can — a tin
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mate — a friend
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. content — happy
  18. track — to keep track
  19. foot — a measure
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. track — a song

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