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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. drill — army training
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — the amount
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. capital — money
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. drill — a practice
  23. content — happy
  24. mouse — for a computer

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