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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bear — the animal
  3. chip — to eat
  4. present — the time now
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. track — to keep track
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. present — a gift
  9. mate — to breed
  10. dip — to sink
  11. present — there
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — certain
  18. track — a song
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bear — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. chip — for betting

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