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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. saw — the tool
  3. press — a publisher
  4. rest — what's left
  5. saw — the tool
  6. press — to push
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a document
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. press — newspapers
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — a grade
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a kind of play

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