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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — in music
  4. face — part of the head
  5. key — the most important part
  6. content — the amount
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. file — a line of people
  10. pop — music
  11. tube — a container
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. file — a tool
  14. pop — to visit
  15. content — happy
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pop — soda
  19. face — to confront
  20. lean — thin
  21. face — to point toward
  22. tube — the underground
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. straw — dry grass

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