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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mug — to rob
  4. mug — a cup
  5. track — a song
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lean — thin
  9. land — ground
  10. capital — money
  11. land — to come down
  12. charge — a price
  13. mug — a face
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. capital — a city
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. land — a country
  19. lean — to bend
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a path
  22. content — the amount
  23. cell — in biology
  24. content — happy

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