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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. ball — a great time
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. file — a tool
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. file — a document
  11. press — to push
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. press — newspapers
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. file — a line of people
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ball — a round shape

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