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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. present — the time now
  4. rest — a break
  5. chest — of your body
  6. content — happy
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — there
  10. board — to get on
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. board — a committee
  13. rest — what's left
  14. file — a tool
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. file — a document
  17. chest — of your body
  18. file — a line of people
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chest — a box
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. prune — to trim
  24. present — a gift

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