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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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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 · present · content · cap · mark · bowl · chest · net

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mark — a trace
  4. chest — a box
  5. chest — of your body
  6. net — in sport
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. net — after costs
  10. track — a path
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — a song
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cap — a lid
  16. net — for catching
  17. mark — a grade
  18. present — a gift
  19. present — the time now
  20. present — there
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. content — happy

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