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

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cue — a signal
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. rash — a series
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mate — a friend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. file — a document
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — to breed
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cue — a hint
  16. press — to push
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. season — of the year
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rash — hasty
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. season — in sport

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