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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lean — to bend
  3. mate — to breed
  4. land — ground
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mate — a partner
  7. content — happy
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. lean — thin
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. land — to come down
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. mate — a friend
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — a law
  20. track — a song
  21. land — a country
  22. content — the amount
  23. pass — a permit
  24. lean — to rest against

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