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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. shower — to wash
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. file — a document
  6. drill — the tool
  7. degree — from a university
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. file — a tool
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. press — a publisher
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pass — a permit
  15. drill — army training
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — to push
  18. bear — the animal
  19. press — newspapers
  20. file — a line of people
  21. degree — temperature
  22. shower — rain
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. bear — to put up with

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