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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 116 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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. face — to confront
  6. press — to push
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bound — certain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. file — a tool
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mine — for digging
  20. press — newspapers
  21. face — part of the head
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. press — a publisher
  24. shower — to wash

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