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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 120 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. spell — a short time
  3. content — happy
  4. mate — to breed
  5. file — a line of people
  6. spell — letters
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. file — a tool
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. file — a document
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. rock — music
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. spell — magic
  17. rock — a stone
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mate — a partner
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — a friend
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. fan — a supporter

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