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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: track · content · wind · scale · dip · board · clip · march

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. clip — to cut
  5. content — happy
  6. scale — in music
  7. dip — to sink
  8. scale — size or range
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. clip — for paper
  13. wind — moving air
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — the month
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. track — to keep track
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. wind — moving air
  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