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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 120 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 beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — a big letter
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. track — a song
  4. mug — to rob
  5. track — a path
  6. capital — money
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. bound — tied together
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. last — final
  13. bound — obliged
  14. capital — a city
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bound — certain
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pound — a weight
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bowl — a football final

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