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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a document
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — to wash
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. rock — a stone
  10. fine — high quality
  11. rock — music
  12. roll — a list
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a line of people
  19. content — happy
  20. roll — a cake
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. stem — to come from
  23. shower — rain
  24. fine — a penalty

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