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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. shower — to wash
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. craft — boats
  9. staff — employees
  10. craft — a skill
  11. shower — rain
  12. file — a tool
  13. field — farmland
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — music
  16. file — a line of people
  17. swing — in golf
  18. content — happy
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. staff — a stick
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — for sport
  23. staff — employees
  24. field — a subject

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