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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bass — the fish
  3. field — for sport
  4. wound — an injury
  5. field — a subject
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. field — farmland
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — to push
  19. bass — low music
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. file — a line of people
  22. dip — to sink
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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