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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 124 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — of ice
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fine — all right
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. cap — a lid
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. fine — high quality
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. content — the amount
  17. file — a document
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. cap — a hat
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. file — a line of people
  23. content — happy
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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