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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: land · file · firm · tear · pass · press · cabinet · chest

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. firm — a company
  6. chest — a box
  7. press — to push
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. tear — from crying
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. file — a document
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — of your body
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — steady
  17. tear — from crying
  18. land — to come down
  19. tear — to rip
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

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