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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 · lean · rule · game · cabinet · bulb · content · file

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. game — a match
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. press — newspapers
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. press — to push
  7. rule — government
  8. content — happy
  9. bulb — for light
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. game — wild animals
  13. content — the amount
  14. rule — a law
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. file — a line of people
  17. file — a tool
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — for light
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. lean — to bend
  23. lean — thin
  24. lean — to rest against

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