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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. press — newspapers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. press — a publisher
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. march — the month
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. fork — in a road
  12. file — a line of people
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. file — a document
  17. spring — the season
  18. press — to push
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. march — music
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. spring — of water
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — for digging

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