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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 116 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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. staff — employees
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. chip — for betting
  10. press — newspapers
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. deal — to handle
  16. press — to push
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — employees
  19. chip — to eat
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mine — for digging
  22. staff — a stick
  23. pound — a weight
  24. file — a document

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