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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a document
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. press — a publisher
  6. court — of law
  7. mark — a trace
  8. march — the month
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a great time
  14. march — music
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mark — a grade
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. ball — a dance
  19. file — a tool
  20. march — the month
  21. court — for sport
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. fan — a supporter

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