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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. suit — clothes
  5. last — finally
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. content — the amount
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. last — to go on
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. track — a path
  17. last — final
  18. suit — to fit
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. track — a song
  22. sharp — clever
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — a trace

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