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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a document
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — a stone
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cue — a signal
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. cue — for pool
  14. file — a tool
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rock — music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. content — happy

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