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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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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — a publisher
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — happening now
  14. current — electric
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. charge — in control
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — to push
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — electricity

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