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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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Word bank
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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. ball — a great time
  4. lean — thin
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — to push
  12. toast — bread
  13. press — a publisher
  14. rule — government
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. cell — in biology
  18. lean — to bend
  19. ball — a dance
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. file — a line of people
  22. press — newspapers
  23. file — a document
  24. rule — a law

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