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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. row — a line
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. track — to keep track
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. key — for a lock
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. content — happy
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — the amount
  17. rash — a series
  18. chip — for betting
  19. spell — letters
  20. key — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. track — a path
  23. key — the most important part
  24. row — to paddle

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