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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — child
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. ground — a position
  6. track — to keep track
  7. ground — the earth
  8. season — of the year
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. ground — crushed
  11. craft — boats
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. bear — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bass — the fish
  17. season — in sport
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. content — the amount
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — happy

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