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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — in sport
  9. bank — for money
  10. game — wild animals
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. land — a country
  13. stem — to come from
  14. season — of the year
  15. land — ground
  16. chair — a leader
  17. game — a match
  18. file — a tool
  19. content — happy
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. bank — of a river
  22. land — to come down
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. stem — of a plant

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