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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. saw — the tool
  4. file — a tool
  5. lean — to bend
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. file — a line of people
  8. content — the amount
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. file — a document
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. lean — thin
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. season — of the year
  18. bass — the fish
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bass — low music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. season — in sport
  24. content — happy

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