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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — to keep track
  3. chest — of your body
  4. wound — an injury
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. track — a path
  7. firm — decided
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. snap — to click
  13. capital — money
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. firm — a company
  17. cap — a lid
  18. firm — steady
  19. chest — of your body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. capital — a city
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — of ice
  24. chest — a box

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