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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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Word bank
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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a document
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. key — in music
  8. deal — to handle
  9. file — a line of people
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. file — a tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. content — happy
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. key — for a lock
  24. deal — a big deal

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