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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. row — a line
  3. root — of a word
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a plant
  6. race — the arms race
  7. root — the cause
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. season — in sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. row — to paddle
  12. pop — to visit
  13. press — a publisher
  14. press — newspapers
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. season — of the year
  20. race — humankind
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — to push
  23. file — a tool
  24. race — a contest

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