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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. file — a document
  3. object — an aim
  4. spell — magic
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. press — to push
  7. object — to protest
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. band — a ring
  10. saw — the tool
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. press — newspapers
  14. object — a thing
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. file — a line of people
  22. spell — a short time
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. file — a tool

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