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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. content — the amount
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. net — in sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. mark — a grade
  7. file — a tool
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. saw — the tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. board — a committee
  12. swing — music
  13. press — to push
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — a publisher
  16. board — to get on
  17. content — happy
  18. net — for catching
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. net — after costs
  23. file — a document
  24. board — a flat piece

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