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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. mug — a face
  3. file — a document
  4. mug — a cup
  5. press — a publisher
  6. charge — in control
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. file — a line of people
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — hasty
  14. craft — boats
  15. charge — electricity
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — newspapers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — a series
  21. charge — a price
  22. mug — to rob
  23. file — a tool
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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