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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the fish
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — happy
  8. spell — magic
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — letters
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. capital — a city
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. capital — money
  24. spell — a short time

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