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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. press — newspapers
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kid — to tease
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. press — to push
  11. clip — for paper
  12. press — a publisher
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. clip — a video
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. chair — a leader
  23. fine — all right
  24. kid — child

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