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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. rash — hasty
  5. saw — the tool
  6. file — a line of people
  7. file — a document
  8. squash — to crush
  9. degree — from a university
  10. plane — a tool
  11. rash — a series
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. degree — an amount
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wind — moving air
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. degree — temperature
  20. wind — moving air
  21. file — a tool
  22. press — to push
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. squash — the sport

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