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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. press — to push
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. spring — the season
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. file — a line of people
  12. row — a line
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. row — to paddle
  15. file — a tool
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spring — of water
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mine — for digging
  24. spring — a coil

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