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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spring — a coil
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — a path
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. land — ground
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. content — happy
  11. land — a country
  12. mark — a grade
  13. fall — the season
  14. land — to come down
  15. track — a song
  16. content — the amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. mark — a trace
  20. snap — to click
  21. fall — to drop
  22. spring — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. lean — to bend

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