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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. file — a tool
  3. mine — for digging
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. root — of a plant
  6. object — to protest
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. press — newspapers
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. object — a thing
  11. file — a document
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — to push
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — for catching
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. saw — the tool
  22. root — the cause
  23. net — in sport
  24. file — a line of people

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