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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pound — a weight
  3. cell — in biology
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. charge — a price
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. craft — boats
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — a skill
  16. charge — in control
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. cell — a phone
  20. charge — electricity
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. track — to keep track
  23. content — the amount
  24. cell — in a prison

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