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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. chest — a box
  3. firm — decided
  4. lean — thin
  5. lean — to bend
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. press — newspapers
  9. chest — of your body
  10. file — a line of people
  11. present — a gift
  12. march — music
  13. present — there
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. march — the month
  17. firm — a company
  18. stock — goods
  19. press — to push
  20. firm — steady
  21. file — a document
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. press — a publisher
  24. stock — shares

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