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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. content — the amount
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — clothes
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. shower — rain
  14. file — a document
  15. chair — a leader
  16. shower — to wash
  17. pit — a hole
  18. content — happy
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. file — a line of people
  21. branch — a division
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a tool
  24. pit — in a race

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