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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — newspapers
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. scale — in music
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. scale — size or range
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a document
  13. press — to push
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. march — the month
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. march — music
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. saw — the tool
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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