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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — a short time
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a line of people
  5. vault — a safe
  6. spell — magic
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — a group
  9. wind — moving air
  10. file — a tool
  11. tube — the underground
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. press — newspapers
  14. spell — letters
  15. press — a publisher
  16. tube — a container
  17. club — for dancing
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. board — to get on
  22. wind — moving air
  23. board — a committee
  24. club — for golf

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