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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 116 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. march — music
  3. march — the month
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. tube — the underground
  6. net — for catching
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. court — of a king
  11. pound — a weight
  12. press — to push
  13. court — of law
  14. tube — a container
  15. court — for sport
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. press — a publisher
  18. net — in sport
  19. plane — a tool
  20. net — after costs
  21. file — a line of people
  22. march — the month
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pound — to hit hard

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