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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bound — certain
  3. press — to push
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. press — newspapers
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. press — a publisher
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a tool
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. scale — in music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. file — a document
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. saw — the tool

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