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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — hurry
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. last — final
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. last — to go on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. branch — a division
  20. lie — to recline
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — to hurry

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