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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. degree — temperature
  8. tear — from crying
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. content — happy
  11. track — a song
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. tear — to rip
  15. degree — from a university
  16. face — to confront
  17. toast — bread
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. fork — in a road
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. track — a path
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. face — to point toward

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