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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. file — a line of people
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bound — certain
  8. file — a tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. file — a document
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. bound — tied together
  15. wind — moving air
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — in music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fork — in a road
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. chest — a box
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. press — to push

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