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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. content — happy
  3. spring — of water
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. content — the amount
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — a tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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