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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · press · mine · safe · wound · bass · file · track

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bass — low music
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. press — a publisher
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. file — a document
  10. track — to keep track
  11. press — to push
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. content — the amount
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bass — the fish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. track — a path
  20. track — a song
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. content — happy

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