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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. content — the amount
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. capital — a city
  8. track — a path
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. ball — a dance
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ball — a great time
  14. roll — a list
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. content — happy
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. capital — money
  24. leaves — of a tree

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