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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. press — newspapers
  3. row — a line
  4. press — to push
  5. current — electric
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — a leader
  9. bound — obliged
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. row — to paddle
  12. press — a publisher
  13. degree — temperature
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. content — the amount
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. degree — from a university
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — tied together
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. bound — certain

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