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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: bore · spell · can · pound · track · sharp · present · capital

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. track — to keep track
  3. capital — money
  4. can — to be able to
  5. capital — a city
  6. present — a gift
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. pound — a weight
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. present — there
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. bore — to drill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. track — a song
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — a tin
  21. present — the time now
  22. track — a path
  23. sharp — clever
  24. pound — for dogs

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