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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 strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — in sport
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cue — for pool
  8. capital — a city
  9. season — of the year
  10. track — a song
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. cue — a hint
  15. cue — a signal
  16. track — a path
  17. plane — a tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — money
  20. content — the amount
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. content — happy

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