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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. scale — in music
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. press — to push
  6. cell — a phone
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. press — a publisher
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spell — letters
  17. scale — size or range
  18. spell — magic
  19. press — newspapers
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. cell — in biology
  23. current — happening now
  24. cell — in a prison

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