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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. race — a contest
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — a song
  9. ball — a great time
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. hand — help
  14. race — the arms race
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. content — happy
  17. ball — a dance
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. track — a path
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. race — humankind
  24. straw — dry grass

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