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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. march — music
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. track — to keep track
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. row — to paddle
  11. stand — to bear
  12. track — a song
  13. march — the month
  14. content — happy
  15. snap — to click
  16. march — the month
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a path
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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