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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.

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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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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 · saw · chest

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. file — a line of people
  4. club — for golf
  5. pit — in a race
  6. saw — the tool
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chest — a box
  9. press — to push
  10. pit — a hole
  11. club — a group
  12. press — a publisher
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. charge — in control
  16. file — a document
  17. chest — of your body
  18. charge — a price
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. file — a tool
  23. charge — electricity
  24. march — music

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