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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pit — a hole
  4. file — a tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. root — of a word
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. press — to push
  10. press — a publisher
  11. mate — to breed
  12. pit — in a race
  13. chip — for betting
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mate — a friend
  16. root — the cause
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bat — the animal
  23. root — of a plant
  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