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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. object — an aim
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. object — a thing
  7. content — the amount
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mine — for digging
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. drill — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. capital — money
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. content — happy
  21. object — to protest
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. row — a line
  24. row — a quarrel

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