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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. fork — in a road
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. press — to push
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. press — newspapers
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bass — low music
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. press — a publisher
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bass — the fish
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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