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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. deal — to handle
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — to be able to
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. club — for golf
  10. net — in sport
  11. file — a document
  12. can — a tin
  13. club — a group
  14. net — after costs
  15. file — a line of people
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. season — in sport
  18. club — for dancing
  19. content — happy
  20. season — of the year
  21. net — for catching
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. file — a tool

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