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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mine — for digging
  4. band — a ring
  5. can — a tin
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. content — the amount
  8. roll — a list
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. can — to be able to
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. can — a tin
  17. track — a path
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. track — a song
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — to keep track

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