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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: press · file · straw · rash · spell · stick · pit · bay

  1. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — magic
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. rash — a series
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. file — a document
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. spell — a short time
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. file — a line of people
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pit — a hole
  19. file — a tool
  20. rash — hasty
  21. press — a publisher
  22. pit — in a race
  23. spell — letters
  24. rash — on the skin

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