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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — happy
  4. file — a document
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. key — in music
  7. season — in sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. file — a tool
  10. key — the most important part
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. suit — to fit
  13. rush — hurry
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. bark — to shout
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. wake — a trail
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. file — a line of people
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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