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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. temple — a place of worship
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — soda
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mine — for digging
  6. capital — money
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. wake — a trail
  9. object — an aim
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. object — a thing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. capital — a city
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pop — music
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. object — to protest
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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