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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: season · present · row · fine · content · straw · wind · track

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — happy
  5. season — in sport
  6. track — a song
  7. season — of the year
  8. row — a line
  9. content — the amount
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — the time now
  12. fine — high quality
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. present — a gift
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. fine — all right
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. wind — moving air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — there
  24. track — a path

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