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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bank — for money
  4. bank — for money
  5. mark — a grade
  6. date — the fruit
  7. game — wild animals
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wind — moving air
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bank — of a river
  18. game — a match
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rest — a break
  21. file — a document
  22. rest — what's left
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — to push

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