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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · stick · press · content · file · nail · pitch · last

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pitch — completely
  3. content — the amount
  4. press — newspapers
  5. last — finally
  6. last — to go on
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a document
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. file — a line of people
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. file — a tool
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. press — a publisher
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. last — final
  24. nail — on a finger

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