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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. craft — boats
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. craft — a skill
  9. spell — magic
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mate — a friend
  12. track — a path
  13. spell — a short time
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — a song
  18. spell — letters
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. capital — a city
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bore — to tire
  24. track — to keep track

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