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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  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. jam — a tight spot
  2. capital — money
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. wake — a trail
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — a line
  9. capital — a city
  10. club — for golf
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. fall — the season
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. club — for dancing
  16. track — to keep track
  17. object — an aim
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fall — to drop
  23. row — to paddle
  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