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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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · content · lash · bear · rock · rule · file · mate

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mate — a partner
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bear — the animal
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. rule — government
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. file — a line of people
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. rule — a law
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. rock — music
  24. bear — to put up with

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