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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. content — happy
  4. track — a song
  5. wake — a trail
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — the amount
  8. last — to go on
  9. spell — magic
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. last — final
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. charge — a price
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. stock — shares
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. last — finally

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