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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. file — a line of people
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bear — the animal
  5. file — a document
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bound — certain
  8. net — after costs
  9. stand — to bear
  10. bear — the animal
  11. content — happy
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. net — in sport
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. bound — obliged
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. swing — music
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. swing — to play on
  20. content — the amount
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bound — tied together
  23. file — a tool
  24. net — for catching

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