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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. track — a song
  3. capital — money
  4. spring — of water
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — the season
  7. rest — what's left
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rest — what's left
  12. track — to keep track
  13. row — to paddle
  14. rush — hurry
  15. row — a line
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. capital — a city
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. track — a path
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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