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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. fall — to drop
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — the season
  7. press — a publisher
  8. current — electric
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. game — wild animals
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — happening now
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. drill — the tool
  16. current — of water
  17. file — a document
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. file — a tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — to shout

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