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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. spell — a short time
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. track — to keep track
  8. can — a tin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spell — magic
  13. content — the amount
  14. can — a tin
  15. field — farmland
  16. content — happy
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. bear — the animal
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. field — for sport
  21. can — to be able to
  22. track — a song
  23. field — a subject
  24. track — a path

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