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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. present — the time now
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. track — a song
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. content — the amount
  13. snap — to click
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chair — a leader
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. present — there
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — happy

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