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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. file — a document
  3. press — to push
  4. file — a line of people
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. cold — not warm
  7. file — a tool
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — newspapers
  13. mate — a partner
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. snap — to click
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. press — a publisher
  22. mate — a friend
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cold — an illness

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