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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. track — a song
  4. file — a tool
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — child
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. capital — a city
  9. file — a document
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. chair — a leader
  12. content — the amount
  13. mug — a face
  14. mug — a cup
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. content — happy
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. file — a line of people
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. capital — money
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a professorship

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