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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — to keep track
  3. kid — to tease
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. kid — child
  6. cue — a hint
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — a song
  9. mug — to rob
  10. track — a path
  11. mug — a face
  12. prune — to trim
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. capital — a city
  16. firm — a company
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mug — a cup
  19. cue — a signal
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — steady
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cue — for pool

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