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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. charge — electricity
  4. file — a line of people
  5. band — a music group
  6. press — to push
  7. file — a document
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — certain
  10. bore — to drill
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. degree — from a university
  13. charge — a price
  14. charge — in control
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. degree — an amount
  19. band — a ring
  20. press — newspapers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. degree — temperature

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