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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — a short time
  9. court — for sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. stock — goods
  12. track — a path
  13. drill — army training
  14. track — a song
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. track — to keep track
  20. court — of a king
  21. stock — shares
  22. content — the amount
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. leaves — lets stay

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