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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  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. file — a tool
  2. suit — to fit
  3. object — a thing
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. suit — clothes
  6. file — a document
  7. content — the amount
  8. file — a line of people
  9. content — happy
  10. stem — to come from
  11. scale — in music
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. object — to protest
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. object — an aim
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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