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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. content — the amount
  3. stock — goods
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. file — a line of people
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — a path
  10. file — a document
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. stem — to come from
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. content — happy
  17. dip — to sink
  18. club — for dancing
  19. track — a song
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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