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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. capital — money
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. cell — a phone
  5. track — a song
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. cell — in biology
  9. can — to be able to
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. can — a tin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — to keep track
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. track — a path
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. capital — a city
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. can — a tin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pound — a weight

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