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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. file — a document
  3. content — happy
  4. net — in sport
  5. season — of the year
  6. content — the amount
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. season — in sport
  11. rush — hurry
  12. net — after costs
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. prune — to trim
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. prune — to trim
  18. file — a line of people
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. file — a tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. net — for catching

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