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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — happy
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — the amount
  9. can — to be able to
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. pit — a hole
  12. row — a line
  13. band — a ring
  14. track — a path
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. row — to paddle
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pit — in a race
  21. track — to keep track
  22. band — a music group
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. can — a tin

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