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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. can — a tin
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. kick — in football
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — a path
  10. game — a match
  11. content — happy
  12. track — a song
  13. mug — a face
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a cup
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. mug — to rob
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — wild animals
  24. foot — a measure

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