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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 116 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. content — the amount
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — rain
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. field — for sport
  14. track — to keep track
  15. field — farmland
  16. mark — a grade
  17. track — a path
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. content — happy
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tube — in a tire
  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