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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 dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. track — a path
  3. track — a song
  4. bear — the animal
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mark — a grade
  7. content — the amount
  8. ball — a dance
  9. track — to keep track
  10. craft — a skill
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bear — the animal
  13. mark — a trace
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. ball — a great time
  21. hand — help
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. content — happy

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