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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. cold — not warm
  4. file — a tool
  5. press — to push
  6. kid — to tease
  7. branch — a division
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. kid — child
  10. bore — to drill
  11. file — a line of people
  12. fine — all right
  13. cold — an illness
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. current — electric
  17. bore — to tire
  18. current — of water
  19. file — a document
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. current — happening now
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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