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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: file · rest · mate · bay · court · sharp · content · mug

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rest — a break
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — a face
  5. content — happy
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mate — a friend
  9. court — of law
  10. file — a tool
  11. court — for sport
  12. rest — what's left
  13. mug — to rob
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rest — what's left
  16. court — of a king
  17. sharp — clever
  18. file — a document
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mate — a partner
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. content — the amount

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