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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a document
  7. degree — temperature
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wax — to grow
  11. file — a tool
  12. net — for catching
  13. degree — from a university
  14. degree — an amount
  15. net — in sport
  16. fine — all right
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. press — newspapers

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