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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. track — a path
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. charge — a price
  5. charge — electricity
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — clever
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. branch — a division
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pop — music
  12. content — happy
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pop — to visit
  15. charge — in control
  16. deal — to handle
  17. pop — soda
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. content — the amount

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