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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. content — happy
  3. file — a document
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. season — of the year
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. season — in sport
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — clever
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — the amount
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — bread
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. sharp — exactly

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