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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're on a ________________ here.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a line of people
  3. roll — a cake
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. track — a song
  6. press — a publisher
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bank — of a river
  9. roll — a list
  10. track — a path
  11. bank — for money
  12. club — a group
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bank — for money
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. track — to keep track
  23. mark — a grade
  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