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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 116 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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cell — in biology
  3. track — a song
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. content — happy
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. pop — soda
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cell — a phone
  17. content — the amount
  18. season — in sport
  19. pop — to visit
  20. game — a match
  21. season — of the year
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. pop — music
  24. cell — in a prison

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