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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. scale — size or range
  4. stock — goods
  5. file — a tool
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. file — a line of people
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. file — a document
  15. march — the month
  16. scale — in music
  17. press — to push
  18. march — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. stock — shares
  21. march — the month
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. saw — the tool
  24. cap — a lid

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