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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a document
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. present — a gift
  6. file — a tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. present — there
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. fine — high quality
  17. file — a line of people
  18. present — the time now

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