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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rash — a series
  5. content — happy
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — soda
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. cap — a lid
  10. spell — magic
  11. rash — hasty
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. pop — music
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — of ice
  18. content — the amount
  19. file — a document
  20. spell — letters
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. spell — a short time
  23. file — a tool
  24. cap — a hat

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