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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pit — in a race
  3. file — a tool
  4. perch — the fish
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. press — newspapers
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. file — a document
  20. pit — a hole
  21. track — a path
  22. season — in sport
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. press — to push

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