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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. file — a document
  3. swing — music
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. content — the amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. net — in sport
  11. swing — in golf
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. stand — to bear
  17. mate — a friend
  18. file — a tool
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. chair — a leader
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mate — a partner

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