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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. file — a tool
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. last — final
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. last — to go on
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. press — to push
  11. mate — to breed
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. content — happy
  17. file — a document
  18. mate — a friend
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. content — the amount
  21. last — finally
  22. can — a tin
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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