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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 120 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. key — for a lock
  4. content — the amount
  5. cold — an illness
  6. land — a country
  7. track — to keep track
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mate — a friend
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. land — to come down
  17. key — in music
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stand — to bear
  21. track — a path
  22. land — ground
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. content — happy

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