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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. wake — a trail
  4. current — of water
  5. capital — money
  6. press — to push
  7. deal — to handle
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cue — for pool
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cue — a signal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. capital — a city
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. cue — a hint
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. capital — a big letter

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