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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. suit — in cards
  3. track — a path
  4. craft — a skill
  5. craft — boats
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. content — the amount
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spring — of water
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. capital — a city
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. spring — the season
  17. content — happy
  18. suit — to fit
  19. capital — money
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. spring — a coil
  24. track — to keep track

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