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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. press — newspapers
  5. track — a song
  6. wind — moving air
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. tube — a container
  10. degree — from a university
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bat — the animal
  13. tube — the underground
  14. press — a publisher
  15. degree — temperature
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a tool
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wind — moving air
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. bat — in an idiom

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