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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stand — to bear
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. club — a group
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. club — for golf
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. track — a song
  10. rash — hasty
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. rash — a series
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. track — a path
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. dip — to sink
  23. cell — in biology
  24. cell — a phone

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