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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. file — a document
  3. content — happy
  4. pit — in a race
  5. content — the amount
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. track — a song
  9. file — a tool
  10. track — a path
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a hole
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a line of people
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. branch — a division
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — to keep track
  24. branch — of a tree

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