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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. track — a path
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pass — a permit
  8. plane — a tool
  9. track — a song
  10. content — the amount
  11. band — a music group
  12. stock — goods
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kid — child
  18. track — to keep track
  19. kid — to tease
  20. content — happy
  21. band — a ring
  22. wound — an injury
  23. stock — shares
  24. pass — to succeed

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