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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. rock — a stone
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. capital — a city
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. land — to come down
  13. fall — to drop
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. capital — money
  18. track — a path
  19. land — ground
  20. land — a country
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. fall — the season
  24. rock — music

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