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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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: press · file · march · charge · pit · club

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. 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. march — the month
  2. club — for dancing
  3. charge — in control
  4. press — to push
  5. pit — a hole
  6. charge — a price
  7. file — a line of people
  8. press — newspapers
  9. club — for golf
  10. file — a tool
  11. charge — electricity
  12. march — music
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. club — a group
  15. pit — in a race
  16. press — a publisher
  17. march — the month
  18. 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