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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. capital — a city
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. ground — crushed
  5. file — a document
  6. kick — in football
  7. content — the amount
  8. bulb — for light
  9. saw — the tool
  10. capital — money
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. ground — a position
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. file — a tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. lash — an eyelash

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