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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. track — to keep track
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. pop — music
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fine — high quality
  12. rush — hurry
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. fine — all right
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pop — soda
  24. track — a path

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