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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: wake · snap · capital · track · bear · firm · ball · content

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — to keep track
  3. content — the amount
  4. track — a song
  5. firm — a company
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bear — the animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a great time
  11. snap — to click
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. track — a path
  15. wake — a trail
  16. content — happy
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. bear — the animal
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. capital — money
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. capital — a city

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