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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — a stick
  4. file — a line of people
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fall — to drop
  8. content — happy
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. current — of water
  11. current — electric
  12. content — the amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. staff — employees
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. band — a ring
  23. fall — the season
  24. current — happening now

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