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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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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: race · track · capital · can · dip · deal · bound · cell

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. track — a song
  6. cell — in biology
  7. capital — a city
  8. bound — tied together
  9. race — a contest
  10. dip — to sink
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bound — obliged
  13. track — to keep track
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. deal — to handle
  16. can — a tin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. cell — a phone
  19. capital — money
  20. track — a path
  21. bound — certain
  22. race — humankind
  23. can — a tin
  24. deal — a big deal

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