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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: ruler · file · press · stick · squash · bound · rest · current

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. press — to push
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. file — a line of people
  5. current — of water
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a tool
  16. current — happening now
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bound — certain
  21. squash — to crush
  22. current — electric
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. squash — the vegetable

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