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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — to push
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — to keep track
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. press — a publisher
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — in sport
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. track — a path
  17. press — newspapers
  18. net — after costs
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a document
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rock — music
  24. net — for catching

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