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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 116 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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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 · cap · cell · snap · press · stick · game

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. file — a document
  3. press — to push
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. press — newspapers
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — a lid
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — a match
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cap — of ice
  15. cell — in biology
  16. file — a tool
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cell — a phone
  20. game — wild animals
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. file — a line of people
  24. press — a publisher

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