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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · bowl · content · bay · file · cap

  1. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. content — the amount
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. tear — from crying
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. tear — to rip
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. cap — a hat
  18. content — happy

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