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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. content — happy
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. field — a subject
  8. bulb — for light
  9. date — the fruit
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stand — to bear
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — the amount
  16. field — farmland
  17. kick — in football
  18. track — a song
  19. mark — a trace
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. field — for sport
  22. bulb — for light
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. track — a path

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