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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. squash — the sport
  5. spell — letters
  6. pass — a permit
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. content — happy
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. spell — magic
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. can — to be able to
  15. track — to keep track
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. can — a tin
  18. game — a match
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — the amount
  21. track — a song
  22. game — wild animals
  23. squash — to crush
  24. mouse — the animal

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