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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. spell — a short time
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. object — a thing
  9. track — to keep track
  10. content — the amount
  11. object — to protest
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. object — an aim
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — happy
  23. stock — goods
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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