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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. content — the amount
  3. track — a song
  4. can — a tin
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. content — happy
  9. capital — a city
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. track — a path
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mate — to breed
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mate — a friend
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. can — a tin
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. can — to be able to
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — money

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