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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. press — newspapers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — a path
  10. press — a publisher
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. content — happy
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stem — to come from
  17. content — the amount
  18. stock — shares
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. press — to push

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