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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. file — a line of people
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. content — the amount
  8. spring — a coil
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — to play on
  13. content — happy
  14. bound — certain
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. swing — in golf
  17. spring — the season
  18. swing — music
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. file — a document
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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