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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. press — to push
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mate — to breed
  6. drill — the tool
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a document
  10. fork — in a road
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — newspapers
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. mate — a partner
  15. drill — army training
  16. file — a tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. land — a country

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