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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. press — newspapers
  5. cold — not warm
  6. press — a publisher
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — to be able to
  9. fine — high quality
  10. file — a document
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. can — a tin
  16. press — to push
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — in sport
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fine — all right
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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