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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 120 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: capital · bay · track · bear · safe · pitch · content · fall

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — to drop
  3. pitch — completely
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. track — a path
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. content — the amount
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. capital — money
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. content — happy
  19. bear — the animal
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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