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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. object — an aim
  5. capital — money
  6. pit — a hole
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. object — a thing
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. mug — a face
  13. rest — what's left
  14. object — to protest
  15. rest — a break
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mark — a grade
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mark — a trace
  21. capital — a city
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  24. pit — in a race

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