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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. press — a publisher
  4. file — a document
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — farmland
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. field — a subject
  11. press — newspapers
  12. ground — crushed
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. file — a line of people
  16. ground — the earth
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. file — a tool
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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