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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. net — in sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. last — final
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — finally
  7. bank — of a river
  8. file — a tool
  9. last — to go on
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cue — for pool
  12. content — happy
  13. bank — for money
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. suit — in cards
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. suit — to fit
  21. net — for catching
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bank — for money
  24. net — after costs

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