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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chest — a box
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. track — to keep track
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. track — a path
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. net — after costs
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — of your body
  15. net — in sport
  16. content — happy
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. net — for catching
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — a division

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