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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a tool
  4. charge — in control
  5. content — happy
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. tube — the underground
  8. charge — electricity
  9. prune — to trim
  10. lie — to recline
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. content — the amount
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. tube — a container
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. file — a document
  22. prune — to trim
  23. charge — a price
  24. mine — an explosive

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