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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. stem — to come from
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. press — a publisher
  7. court — of a king
  8. file — a tool
  9. rule — government
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. press — to push
  16. squash — to crush
  17. court — for sport
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. court — of law
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rule — a law

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