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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — a song
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — happy
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. track — a path
  15. content — the amount
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. scale — in music
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. snap — to click
  21. stand — to bear
  22. ball — a great time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wind — to turn a key

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