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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. current — of water
  9. press — to push
  10. tear — to rip
  11. cue — for pool
  12. degree — temperature
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cue — a hint
  15. current — happening now
  16. degree — an amount
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. degree — from a university
  20. current — electric
  21. press — a publisher
  22. club — a group
  23. club — for golf
  24. press — newspapers

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