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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. content — happy
  3. bear — the animal
  4. cell — in biology
  5. rest — what's left
  6. land — to come down
  7. squash — to crush
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. rest — a break
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rest — what's left
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — a phone
  17. land — ground
  18. file — a tool
  19. land — a country
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. squash — the sport
  23. file — a line of people
  24. squash — the vegetable

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