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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 bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. file — a document
  3. content — happy
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. content — the amount
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. perch — the fish
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. file — a line of people
  13. kid — child
  14. deal — to handle
  15. bark — to shout
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a tool
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. wake — a trail
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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