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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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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: file · charge · toast · net · wind · tear · press · fine

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. net — in sport
  3. press — a publisher
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. press — to push
  6. file — a document
  7. charge — a price
  8. fine — high quality
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — electricity
  11. tear — from crying
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. press — newspapers
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tear — to rip
  16. file — a tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. wind — moving air
  19. charge — in control
  20. net — for catching
  21. wind — moving air
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. tear — from crying
  24. file — a line of people

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