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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. track — to keep track
  3. ball — a dance
  4. roll — a cake
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. content — happy
  7. track — a song
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stand — to bear
  10. roll — a list
  11. ball — a great time
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. season — in sport
  14. track — a path
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chip — for betting
  18. chip — to eat
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. scale — in music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. content — the amount

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