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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rash · leaves · file · pound · press · mine · court · cold

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. rash — a series
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. press — newspapers
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. cold — an illness
  14. press — to push
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. court — of a king
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. pound — a weight
  20. file — a tool
  21. rash — hasty
  22. press — a publisher
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cold — not warm

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