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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. content — the amount
  3. stand — to bear
  4. track — a path
  5. rest — what's left
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bat — the animal
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. hand — in cards
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. content — happy
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rush — hurry
  24. bat — in an idiom

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