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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — happy
  5. track — a path
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — in a race
  8. charge — in control
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. charge — electricity
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. charge — a price
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. track — a song
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — a hole
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. file — a tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. dip — to sink

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