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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. chest — of your body
  3. firm — a company
  4. track — a song
  5. file — a document
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. track — to keep track
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bound — tied together
  13. chest — a box
  14. firm — decided
  15. bound — obliged
  16. firm — steady
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. stand — to bear
  19. bound — certain
  20. track — a path
  21. file — a tool
  22. spell — magic
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — letters

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