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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. cap — a lid
  3. staff — employees
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. current — of water
  6. face — part of the head
  7. press — to push
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — the animal
  12. current — happening now
  13. toast — bread
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — a hat
  18. press — newspapers
  19. face — to confront
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. staff — a stick
  22. press — a publisher
  23. cap — of ice
  24. current — electric

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