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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · track · capital · straw · wind · mate · deal · mine

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a partner
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. track — a path
  17. mate — a friend
  18. wind — moving air
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. capital — a city
  21. track — a song
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. capital — money

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