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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.

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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: trunk · content · cabinet · file · pound · row · ball · mark

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a document
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — happy
  8. row — a line
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. file — a tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. file — a line of people
  20. content — the amount
  21. pound — a weight
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mark — a trace
  24. ball — a great time

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