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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a document
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — help
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. fine — high quality
  13. file — a tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. hand — in cards
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — to shout
  18. file — a line of people
  19. content — happy
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. snap — to click
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. fine — all right
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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