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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. game — wild animals
  6. file — a document
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. lie — to recline
  11. content — happy
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — the amount
  14. pass — a permit
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. file — a tool
  23. game — a match
  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