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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. chest — a box
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. chest — of your body
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. suit — to fit
  9. file — a line of people
  10. suit — in cards
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. chest — of your body
  13. spring — the season
  14. file — a document
  15. suit — clothes
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. date — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. content — happy
  20. march — music
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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