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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. present — the time now
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. land — to come down
  7. bank — of a river
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. bank — for money
  10. capital — a city
  11. club — for golf
  12. club — for dancing
  13. land — a country
  14. present — there
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. club — a group
  18. track — a song
  19. present — a gift
  20. capital — money
  21. bank — for money
  22. land — ground
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. chair — to sit on

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