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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. rule — government
  6. content — happy
  7. rule — a law
  8. content — the amount
  9. land — to come down
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. wake — a trail
  13. track — a song
  14. land — a country
  15. track — to keep track
  16. land — ground
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. squash — to crush
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — shares

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