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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. file — a line of people
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. march — the month
  6. drill — a practice
  7. press — a publisher
  8. pop — music
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. press — to push
  12. file — a document
  13. drill — the tool
  14. march — music
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. file — a tool
  18. press — newspapers
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — soda
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. march — the month
  24. pop — to visit

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