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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. fall — to drop
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bear — the animal
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — farmland
  11. content — happy
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fall — to drop
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. row — a line
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. board — a committee
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. board — to get on
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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