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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. 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. file — a line of people
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. file — a tool
  4. press — to push
  5. chest — of your body
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. game — wild animals
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. press — newspapers
  14. file — a document
  15. chest — a box
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — of your body
  18. 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