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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: roll · straw · stand · mine · file · content · jam · ground

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — for digging
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. file — a tool
  5. ground — the earth
  6. content — happy
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. roll — a list
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. ground — a position
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stand — to bear
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. ground — crushed
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. content — the amount
  24. jam — in traffic

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