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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: cold · track · capital · arm · season · mug · suit · tear

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. capital — money
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. mug — to rob
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. track — a path
  8. cold — not warm
  9. suit — to fit
  10. tear — from crying
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. mug — a cup
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. suit — in cards
  15. track — to keep track
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. season — of the year
  18. capital — a city
  19. season — in sport
  20. tear — to rip
  21. cold — an illness
  22. tear — from crying
  23. track — a song
  24. mug — a face

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