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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. file — a document
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. content — the amount
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. content — happy
  10. row — to paddle
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cell — in biology
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. toast — bread
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. sharp — clever
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. sharp — with an edge

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