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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. file — a line of people
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — happy
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a document
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. content — the amount
  12. saw — the tool
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. firm — a company
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. firm — decided
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. firm — steady
  24. leaves — to go away

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