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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 116 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. craft — boats
  4. stand — to bear
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a dance
  9. craft — a skill
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. wake — a trail
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wound — an injury
  15. content — the amount
  16. wound — an injury
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spell — magic
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spell — a short time
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. stand — for spectators

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