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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. net — for catching
  3. content — happy
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. content — the amount
  6. bound — obliged
  7. track — a song
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a document
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. object — an aim
  13. file — a tool
  14. net — after costs
  15. file — a line of people
  16. fine — all right
  17. bound — tied together
  18. object — a thing
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. net — in sport
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — to protest
  24. fine — high quality

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