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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mark — a grade
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. file — a document
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. file — a tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. content — happy
  15. ground — a position
  16. rash — hasty
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. rash — a series
  22. mark — a trace
  23. ground — the earth
  24. chair — a professorship

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