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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.

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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: mate · content · mine · fork · firm · stick · land · track

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a partner
  3. land — to come down
  4. track — a path
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. land — ground
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. firm — decided
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fork — in a road
  12. content — the amount
  13. firm — steady
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mate — a friend
  16. land — a country
  17. track — a song
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. content — happy
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. firm — a company

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