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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. file — a tool
  3. chair — a leader
  4. track — to keep track
  5. press — a publisher
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. file — a document
  8. rush — hurry
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. track — a song
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. file — a line of people
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. track — a path
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. press — to push
  19. wake — a trail
  20. press — newspapers
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. sharp — clever

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