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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a tool
  5. press — newspapers
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cell — in biology
  12. rash — hasty
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rash — a series
  15. wind — moving air
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. press — a publisher
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. dip — to sink
  24. coach — a trainer

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