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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a tool
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. shower — rain
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fork — in a road
  10. press — a publisher
  11. shower — to wash
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to confront
  14. spring — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. spring — of water
  17. face — part of the head
  18. fall — the season
  19. spring — a coil
  20. press — newspapers
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. press — to push
  23. face — to point toward
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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