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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 116 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pit — in a race
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pit — a hole
  6. sharp — clever
  7. staff — a stick
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. file — a tool
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. content — happy
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. file — a line of people
  15. dip — to sink
  16. staff — employees
  17. deal — to handle
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. dip — a sauce

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