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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. content — happy
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. content — the amount
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. present — there
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. track — to keep track
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. wound — an injury
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. charge — in control
  14. present — the time now
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. wound — an injury
  19. rush — hurry
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — a price
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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