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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. scale — in music
  2. rush — hurry
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. clip — to cut
  9. prune — to trim
  10. pit — in a race
  11. prune — to trim
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. scale — size or range
  18. clip — for paper
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. pit — a hole
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. press — to push
  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