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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. rash — a series
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. file — a document
  6. cold — an illness
  7. pit — in a race
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. file — a line of people
  10. press — newspapers
  11. file — a tool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. press — to push
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. plane — a tool
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. press — a publisher
  23. lean — to bend
  24. rash — hasty

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