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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 124 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — a song
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. track — a path
  18. content — happy
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — to keep track
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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