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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 116 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. file — a line of people
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — clothes
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. suit — in cards
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. suit — to fit
  13. content — happy
  14. present — there
  15. tear — from crying
  16. present — the time now
  17. tear — to rip
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. tear — from crying
  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