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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pit — in a race
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. sharp — clever
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to click
  14. content — the amount
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. track — a song
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. branch — a division
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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