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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. track — a song
  5. bound — certain
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bound — tied together
  14. degree — an amount
  15. ball — a great time
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. content — the amount
  18. track — to keep track
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. degree — from a university
  21. ball — a dance
  22. content — happy
  23. bear — the animal
  24. ball — a round shape

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