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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 120 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. pound — a weight
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. press — a publisher
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a document
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. press — newspapers
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cap — of ice
  18. press — to push
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. file — a tool
  21. staff — a stick
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cap — a hat
  24. staff — employees

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