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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — happy
  3. file — a document
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cell — in biology
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a tool
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. content — the amount
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. cell — a phone
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. dip — to sink
  19. present — the time now
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. file — a line of people
  24. ruler — a monarch

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