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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rest — what's left
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. track — a path
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. march — the month
  15. content — the amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — music
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  24. track — a song

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