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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 116 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. track — a path
  3. fall — the season
  4. bear — the animal
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. content — happy
  8. mine — for digging
  9. capital — a city
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. pop — soda
  12. track — a song
  13. content — the amount
  14. tube — the underground
  15. track — to keep track
  16. capital — money
  17. pop — to visit
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bear — the animal
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. tube — a container
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — music

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