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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. roll — a list
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. fall — to drop
  15. content — happy
  16. wind — moving air
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. roll — a cake
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fall — the season
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — to keep track
  24. content — the amount

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