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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. board — a committee
  5. spring — of water
  6. file — a line of people
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. file — a tool
  13. hand — help
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. file — a document
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — in cards
  19. board — to get on
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — the amount
  24. pitcher — a jug

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