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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rule — a law
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. rule — government
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. capital — money
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — bread
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — to keep track
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — help
  24. fork — a garden tool

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