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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 120 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — happy
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. content — the amount
  6. rule — government
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. saw — the tool
  10. file — a document
  11. pound — a weight
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. fan — a supporter

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