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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. file — a document
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. file — a tool
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. club — for golf
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — a price
  15. content — happy
  16. club — for dancing
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. chest — a box
  19. charge — in control
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. content — the amount
  22. file — a line of people
  23. charge — electricity
  24. deal — to handle

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