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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. suit — to fit
  3. content — happy
  4. drill — the tool
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a great time
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — army training
  13. suit — clothes
  14. root — the cause
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. root — of a word
  20. track — a path
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. content — the amount
  23. root — of a plant
  24. track — to keep track

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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