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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chest — a box
  3. firm — a company
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fine — high quality
  9. mine — for digging
  10. file — a tool
  11. firm — steady
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. chest — of your body
  14. firm — decided
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. spell — a short time
  19. can — a tin
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. can — a tin

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