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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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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a document
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — for dancing
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. cap — a hat
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. content — the amount
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fall — the season
  14. staff — employees
  15. staff — employees
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. file — a tool
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. content — happy
  23. cap — a lid
  24. mine — an explosive

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