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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — the amount
  5. toast — bread
  6. fall — the season
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. object — to protest
  11. object — a thing
  12. track — a path
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. pit — a hole
  16. fine — all right
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. fine — high quality
  20. track — a song
  21. object — an aim
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pit — in a race
  24. land — ground

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