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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a document
  3. content — the amount
  4. march — music
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. net — in sport
  7. tube — the underground
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — the month
  11. rule — a law
  12. rule — government
  13. net — after costs
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. march — the month
  16. file — a line of people
  17. net — for catching
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. tube — a container
  21. content — happy
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. bass — the fish
  24. file — a tool

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