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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. present — a gift
  4. content — happy
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. march — music
  7. present — the time now
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. saw — the tool
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. march — the month
  15. present — there
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. track — a path
  18. saw — the tool
  19. content — the amount
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. track — a song
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. march — the month

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