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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rock — music
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rock — a stone
  8. mate — to breed
  9. file — a tool
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mate — a partner
  13. file — a line of people
  14. track — a path
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. capital — money
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. fine — all right
  19. capital — a city
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a document
  22. track — a song
  23. deal — to handle
  24. track — to keep track

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