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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. court — for sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. swing — music
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. tube — the underground
  11. content — the amount
  12. court — of law
  13. roll — a cake
  14. tube — a container
  15. swing — to play on
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. content — happy
  18. swing — in golf
  19. court — of a king
  20. file — a line of people
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. roll — a list
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. content — videos and posts

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