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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. last — final
  3. march — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. press — a publisher
  6. march — the month
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. suit — to fit
  10. press — newspapers
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — finally
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. firm — decided
  17. march — the month
  18. tube — the underground
  19. firm — steady
  20. last — to go on
  21. firm — a company
  22. tube — a container
  23. mine — for digging
  24. file — a document

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