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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. press — to push
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. current — happening now
  9. staff — employees
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. spell — a short time
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — the sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — to crush
  18. spell — magic
  19. press — newspapers
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. press — a publisher
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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