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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a document
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. chip — to eat
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. track — a path
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. file — a tool
  18. track — a song
  19. file — a line of people
  20. date — the fruit
  21. season — in sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. track — to keep track

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