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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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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: fine · capital · pit · track · kid · staff · bound · tube

  1. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — a song
  7. fine — all right
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bound — certain
  13. capital — a city
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. staff — employees
  17. pit — in a race
  18. staff — a stick
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — employees
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — obliged
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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