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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 116 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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. press — to push
  9. file — a document
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. fork — in a road
  17. season — in sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — a break
  22. press — newspapers
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. season — of the year

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