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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bear — the animal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pop — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. content — happy
  9. shower — rain
  10. pop — to visit
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. swing — to play on
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. content — the amount
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. swing — music
  23. pop — soda
  24. file — a tool

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