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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. bass — low music
  3. press — to push
  4. shower — rain
  5. bass — the fish
  6. press — a publisher
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. press — newspapers
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a tool
  20. roll — a cake
  21. file — a document
  22. fork — in a road
  23. shower — to wash
  24. roll — a list

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