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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wound — an injury
  5. press — to push
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pop — to visit
  8. rule — a law
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — government
  14. pop — soda
  15. press — newspapers
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. file — a tool
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pop — music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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