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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 116 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: mouse · present · mark · mate · band · rest · rule · file

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. file — a tool
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. mate — a friend
  8. band — a music group
  9. file — a document
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a ring
  14. present — the time now
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — a break
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — a partner
  22. present — there
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rest — what's left

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