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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. season — in sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a document
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. content — happy
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rush — hurry
  14. bound — tied together
  15. march — the month
  16. content — the amount
  17. bound — certain
  18. file — a line of people
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. season — of the year
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. march — music
  24. season — to add flavour

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