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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pit — in a race
  3. content — happy
  4. cell — in biology
  5. file — a document
  6. track — a song
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. shower — to wash
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. row — a line
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a committee
  20. file — a tool
  21. track — a path
  22. pit — a hole
  23. cell — a phone
  24. shower — rain

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