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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — a song
  4. last — to go on
  5. content — happy
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. track — to keep track
  8. craft — boats
  9. club — a group
  10. pop — to visit
  11. club — for golf
  12. content — the amount
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. craft — a skill
  20. charge — electricity
  21. charge — in control
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. charge — a price
  24. pound — for dogs

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