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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. file — a tool
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. ball — a great time
  10. file — a document
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. present — the time now
  13. present — there
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a song
  16. present — a gift
  17. drill — army training
  18. track — a path
  19. cell — a phone
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cell — in biology
  22. drill — a practice
  23. press — newspapers
  24. ball — a dance

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