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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. last — to go on
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — finally
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. net — in sport
  8. file — a document
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. file — a line of people
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — after costs
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. press — newspapers
  22. net — for catching
  23. last — final
  24. mouse — the animal

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