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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — final
  3. can — a tin
  4. staff — employees
  5. firm — decided
  6. fall — the season
  7. staff — a stick
  8. last — to go on
  9. fall — to drop
  10. last — finally
  11. firm — steady
  12. fall — to drop
  13. press — a publisher
  14. pop — soda
  15. press — to push
  16. staff — employees
  17. file — a document
  18. firm — a company
  19. pop — music
  20. can — a tin
  21. pop — to visit
  22. file — a tool
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — newspapers

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