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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. file — a document
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. season — in sport
  6. fine — all right
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — of the year
  9. file — a tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — happy
  12. toast — bread
  13. fine — high quality
  14. can — a tin
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. rash — hasty
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. can — a tin

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