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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. content — happy
  5. current — happening now
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mark — a trace
  11. current — electric
  12. mine — for digging
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. current — of water
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — a grade
  19. drill — a practice
  20. track — a song
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mine — belonging to me

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