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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: wound · content · track · drill · foot · season · jam · rash

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. foot — a measure
  5. season — of the year
  6. track — a song
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — a path
  11. rash — hasty
  12. track — to keep track
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — army training
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. drill — a practice
  22. content — happy
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. drill — the tool

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