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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mine — for digging
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. track — to keep track
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. key — for a lock
  14. key — in music
  15. content — happy
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rest — a break
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — a path
  22. bat — the animal
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. track — a song

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