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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. content — happy
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. file — a line of people
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. file — a document
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. pass — a permit
  12. bank — for money
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. march — music
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. foot — a measure
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — of a river
  24. march — the month

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