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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: press · tear · fine · trunk · file · drill · cold · pitch

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. press — newspapers
  4. tear — from crying
  5. cold — an illness
  6. file — a tool
  7. file — a line of people
  8. cold — not warm
  9. press — to push
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. press — a publisher
  16. fine — all right
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fine — high quality
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pitch — completely
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tear — from crying
  23. drill — army training
  24. tear — to rip

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