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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. firm — a company
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. file — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. firm — steady
  10. content — happy
  11. branch — a division
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. file — a line of people
  20. file — a document
  21. firm — decided
  22. ball — a great time
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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