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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. rush — hurry
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — to push
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — the underground
  7. spring — a coil
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. file — a line of people
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — a container
  13. bound — obliged
  14. spring — of water
  15. file — a document
  16. hand — help
  17. press — a publisher
  18. spring — the season
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tube — in a tire

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