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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. suit — clothes
  3. press — to push
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. rule — a law
  6. press — newspapers
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. file — a document
  9. drill — army training
  10. suit — in cards
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — all right
  13. press — a publisher
  14. suit — to fit
  15. drill — the tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. drill — a practice
  18. branch — a division
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. file — a tool

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