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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. lie — to recline
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. rule — government
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — wild animals
  12. field — a subject
  13. rule — a law
  14. field — for sport
  15. file — a tool
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. field — farmland
  18. press — a publisher
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. game — a match
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. file — a line of people
  24. fan — a supporter

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