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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — a stone
  4. mate — a partner
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. last — finally
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — a friend
  11. press — a publisher
  12. tube — the underground
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — a video
  15. mate — to breed
  16. clip — to cut
  17. press — newspapers
  18. tube — a container
  19. rest — what's left
  20. last — final
  21. rock — music
  22. press — to push
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. file — a tool

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