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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: march · pit · press · hand · file · mate · fan · can

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. press — a publisher
  5. file — a document
  6. can — to be able to
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a line of people
  9. can — a tin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. press — newspapers
  12. pit — in a race
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. march — music
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. file — a tool
  19. pit — a hole
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a friend
  22. hand — help
  23. can — a tin
  24. fan — a supporter

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