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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. file — a line of people
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bank — for money
  5. chest — of your body
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bank — for money
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — for digging
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mug — to rob
  12. content — happy
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bank — of a river
  15. can — to be able to
  16. file — a tool
  17. can — a tin
  18. file — a document
  19. mug — a face
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — the amount
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. chest — a box
  24. rash — a series

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