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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wind — moving air
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. tube — a container
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. deal — to handle
  12. wind — moving air
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. bank — of a river
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. file — a line of people
  19. file — a document
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bank — for money
  22. file — a tool
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. deal — a big deal

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