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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — a song
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rash — hasty
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a path
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — happy
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. stock — goods
  16. cell — a phone
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stock — shares
  22. cell — in biology
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. stock — a soup base

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