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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mate — a partner
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — hurry
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mate — to breed
  15. content — happy
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. can — to be able to
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. stem — to come from
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. track — to keep track
  24. cap — a hat

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