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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. roll — a cake
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a path
  5. roll — a list
  6. pit — a hole
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cap — a lid
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. staff — employees
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. fine — high quality
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a hat
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — happy
  22. track — a song
  23. content — the amount
  24. cap — of ice

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