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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. content — happy
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — a tin
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a tool
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. tube — a container
  9. file — a document
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. key — the most important part
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. key — in music
  15. fine — all right
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spring — the season
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. key — for a lock

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