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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. can — a tin
  4. file — a tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a song
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. press — newspapers
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. file — a line of people
  13. track — a path
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. file — a document
  16. content — the amount
  17. field — farmland
  18. can — to be able to
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. press — a publisher
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. press — to push

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