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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. band — a music group
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. capital — a city
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. last — finally
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. track — a song
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a ring
  15. rock — music
  16. rock — a stone
  17. capital — money
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. last — final
  21. track — to keep track
  22. sharp — clever
  23. last — to go on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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