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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. file — a document
  3. ground — the earth
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. drill — a practice
  6. ground — crushed
  7. file — a line of people
  8. drill — the tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. branch — a division
  11. press — a publisher
  12. lie — to recline
  13. file — a tool
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. drill — army training
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. charge — a price
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. hand — help
  20. press — to push
  21. hand — in cards
  22. charge — in control
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. charge — electricity

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