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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. file — a line of people
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. degree — from a university
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. file — a tool
  8. band — a ring
  9. scale — in music
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. suit — in cards
  12. spring — the season
  13. content — the amount
  14. degree — an amount
  15. band — a music group
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. degree — temperature
  18. file — a document
  19. suit — to fit
  20. spring — of water
  21. content — happy
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. spring — a coil
  24. scale — size or range

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