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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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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. suit — clothes
  3. track — to keep track
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. content — happy
  6. object — to protest
  7. land — ground
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — a measure
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. land — to come down
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. suit — in cards
  17. suit — to fit
  18. object — an aim
  19. track — a song
  20. object — a thing
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. date — the fruit
  23. land — a country
  24. content — videos and posts

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