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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. content — the amount
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — in sport
  5. pit — a hole
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. bass — the fish
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. file — a tool
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. content — happy
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. bass — low music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. wake — a trail
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bass — the instrument

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