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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  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. mine — belonging to me
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. land — ground
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a path
  12. mine — for digging
  13. content — the amount
  14. rush — hurry
  15. land — a country
  16. rock — a stone
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rock — music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. land — to come down
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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