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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. capital — money
  3. file — a line of people
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spring — a coil
  6. file — a tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. wind — moving air
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. spring — of water
  14. chip — for betting
  15. spring — the season
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wind — moving air
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — to push
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. capital — a city

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