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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. content — the amount
  3. board — to get on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. march — music
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. track — a song
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a path
  21. content — happy
  22. rash — hasty
  23. march — the month
  24. cell — a phone

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