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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  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. safe — out of danger
  2. file — a document
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. march — music
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. march — the month
  7. content — happy
  8. can — to be able to
  9. staff — employees
  10. spell — letters
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. file — a tool
  13. staff — employees
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. spell — magic
  17. march — the month
  18. content — the amount
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — a tin
  22. staff — a stick
  23. file — a line of people
  24. spell — a short time

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