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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.

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: chest · content · rash · toast · date · foot · current · track

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. chest — of your body
  3. rash — hasty
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. current — electric
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — happening now
  10. rash — a series
  11. chest — a box
  12. content — the amount
  13. track — to keep track
  14. content — happy
  15. track — a path
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. track — a song
  18. chest — of your body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. current — of water
  22. toast — bread
  23. date — the fruit
  24. toast — the most admired

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