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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. tube — a container
  3. saw — the tool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. file — a document
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. squash — to crush
  8. kid — child
  9. spell — magic
  10. mate — to breed
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. spell — a short time
  13. mate — a friend
  14. kid — to tease
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. spell — letters
  18. file — a tool
  19. squash — the sport
  20. tube — the underground
  21. mate — a partner
  22. saw — the tool
  23. press — to push
  24. squash — the vegetable

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