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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. file — a document
  3. stand — to bear
  4. band — a music group
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. rule — government
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. file — a tool
  11. band — a ring
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. file — a line of people
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. rule — a law
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. nail — for a hammer

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