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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. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. kick — in football
  5. capital — a city
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. track — to keep track
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. present — there
  10. capital — money
  11. march — the month
  12. present — a gift
  13. club — for dancing
  14. stem — to come from
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. march — music
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — the time now
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. march — the month

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