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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. file — a tool
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. press — newspapers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. file — a line of people
  10. degree — from a university
  11. ground — the earth
  12. file — a document
  13. last — to go on
  14. last — finally
  15. snap — to click
  16. press — to push
  17. degree — an amount
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. last — final
  21. degree — temperature
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. press — a publisher

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