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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 rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bound — certain
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pass — a permit
  15. bound — tied together
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. press — to push
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — obliged
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. press — a publisher

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