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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rest — what's left
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. content — the amount
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bound — obliged
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bound — certain
  22. content — happy
  23. rest — a break
  24. kick — in football

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