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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wind — moving air
  5. swing — to play on
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a tool
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. scale — in music
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. press — to push
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mine — for digging
  18. swing — music
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. press — a publisher
  21. scale — size or range
  22. swing — in golf
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. wind — moving air

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