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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 function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. wind — moving air
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. file — a line of people
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — to push
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. pop — music
  11. press — a publisher
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — the tool
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. rest — what's left
  18. file — a tool
  19. chest — a box
  20. rest — a break
  21. file — a document
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — to visit

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