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

Word bank: mark · press · rest · file · pound · cell

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. press — a publisher
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. press — to push
  7. rest — what's left
  8. mark — a grade
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pound — a weight
  11. cell — a phone
  12. rest — a break
  13. press — newspapers
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mark — a trace
  18. rest — what's left

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