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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mate — to breed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — there
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mark — a trace
  10. drill — army training
  11. file — a line of people
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a tool
  15. mark — a grade
  16. drill — a practice
  17. mate — a friend
  18. present — a gift
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — newspapers
  22. present — the time now
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — to push

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