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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — to keep track
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. track — a path
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. board — to get on
  14. dip — to sink
  15. content — happy
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. content — the amount
  20. wind — moving air
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. track — a song

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