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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: file · press · club · safe · pop · rule · pound · bat

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. pop — music
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — to push
  5. file — a document
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. rule — government
  8. press — newspapers
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pop — soda
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pound — a weight
  14. rule — a law
  15. file — a tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. pop — to visit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — the animal
  24. safe — out of danger

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