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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. content — happy
  4. wound — an injury
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — to shout
  7. file — a line of people
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. content — the amount
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — a permit
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — an injury
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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