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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chip — to eat
  3. track — a song
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. chip — for betting
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a ring
  8. band — a music group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. club — for golf
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. content — happy
  18. club — a group
  19. rash — a series
  20. track — a path
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — the amount
  23. rash — hasty
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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