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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 wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. file — a tool
  3. march — the month
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. press — to push
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. file — a document
  8. march — the month
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — clever
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. march — music
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. face — part of the head
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. face — to point toward
  20. file — a line of people
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pass — a permit
  23. face — to confront
  24. hide — animal skin

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