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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 116 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. file — a tool
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. charge — electricity
  6. band — a music group
  7. charge — in control
  8. charge — a price
  9. content — the amount
  10. clip — a video
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. file — a document
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. content — happy
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — to tease
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. clip — for paper
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. band — a ring
  22. kid — child
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bark — to shout

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