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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — a friend
  4. staff — employees
  5. file — a tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. content — the amount
  12. plane — a tool
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. pop — music
  15. content — happy
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. date — the fruit
  19. mate — a partner
  20. pop — to visit
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. fine — all right
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pop — soda

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