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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. last — to go on
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. content — happy
  5. track — a song
  6. content — the amount
  7. last — finally
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ground — a position
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. suit — to fit
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. dip — to sink
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — final
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ground — crushed
  24. suit — in cards

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