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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. press — to push
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. last — final
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. tube — a container
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. file — a tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. last — to go on
  17. file — a document
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — finally
  21. press — newspapers
  22. fine — high quality
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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