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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. file — a tool
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. march — the month
  7. temple — side of the head
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — music
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fall — to drop
  12. wax — to grow
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pitch — completely
  16. file — a line of people
  17. press — to push
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — the month
  20. fall — the season
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. file — a document

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