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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. spring — the season
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. file — a line of people
  7. season — of the year
  8. press — newspapers
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mine — for digging
  12. press — to push
  13. file — a document
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. file — a tool
  17. chest — of your body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. season — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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