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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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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've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. content — the amount
  3. file — a tool
  4. craft — boats
  5. rule — a law
  6. spell — magic
  7. game — wild animals
  8. swing — in golf
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rule — government
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. game — a match
  13. content — happy
  14. file — a document
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. swing — music
  18. spell — letters
  19. swing — to play on
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. craft — a skill
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — dry grass

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