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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. last — finally
  3. file — a document
  4. march — the month
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mark — a grade
  11. file — a tool
  12. content — happy
  13. last — final
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. rest — what's left
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — to bear
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. rest — a break
  22. content — the amount
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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