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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 120 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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. file — a document
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. drill — the tool
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a tool
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a line of people
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. tear — to rip
  17. clip — a video
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — hurry
  24. fan — to cool the air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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