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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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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: saw · sharp · snap · can · content · jam · file · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. snap — to click
  3. saw — the tool
  4. sharp — clever
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a line of people
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. file — a tool
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. can — a tin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — the amount
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. can — a tin
  20. content — happy
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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