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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · net · pass · cap · track · fork · content · land

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. net — in sport
  5. land — a country
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. track — a path
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. net — for catching
  11. cap — a lid
  12. land — ground
  13. wind — moving air
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. land — to come down
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. content — happy
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. net — after costs
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cap — of ice

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