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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ground — crushed
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ground — a position
  9. capital — money
  10. rash — a series
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. present — the time now
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. present — there
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. can — a tin
  21. track — a path
  22. can — a tin
  23. present — a gift
  24. capital — a city

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