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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. press — to push
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a line of people
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. ground — a position
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rest — what's left
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a tool
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. rest — a break
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. ground — the earth
  21. saw — the tool
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. press — a publisher
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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