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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. bass — the fish
  4. file — a line of people
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bass — low music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — newspapers
  10. lean — thin
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. lean — to bend
  15. field — for sport
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. wound — an injury
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. field — farmland
  22. file — a tool
  23. press — to push
  24. field — a subject

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