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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cap — a hat
  4. press — a publisher
  5. rule — a law
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. kid — child
  9. file — a line of people
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. file — a document
  13. cap — of ice
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. file — a tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cap — a lid
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rule — government
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kid — to tease

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