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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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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 · drill · chair · ruler · leaves · ground · stick · file

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. chair — a leader
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ground — a position
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. press — to push
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a tool
  21. ground — the earth
  22. press — newspapers
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — a publisher

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