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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pitcher · wind · press · file · object · ball · cabinet · chair

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. wind — moving air
  8. press — to push
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. object — to protest
  12. ball — a dance
  13. file — a document
  14. chair — a leader
  15. press — a publisher
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. object — a thing
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. ball — a great time
  23. object — an aim
  24. file — a tool

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