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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fall — the season
  5. file — a line of people
  6. file — a document
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. fall — to drop
  9. craft — a skill
  10. present — there
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. file — a tool
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. press — a publisher
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. press — to push
  18. craft — boats
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — in football
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. press — newspapers

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