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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. current — of water
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. fine — all right
  5. rock — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. capital — a city
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. fine — high quality
  11. press — a publisher
  12. capital — money
  13. kid — to tease
  14. press — to push
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. kid — child
  18. rash — hasty
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. current — electric
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rash — a series
  24. rock — a stone

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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