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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. game — a match
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. club — a group
  8. content — the amount
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. file — a tool
  21. fine — high quality
  22. club — for golf
  23. game — wild animals
  24. leaves — lets stay

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