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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mine — for digging
  3. current — electric
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. press — newspapers
  6. degree — an amount
  7. degree — temperature
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. charge — electricity
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. current — happening now
  19. fork — in a road
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. charge — a price
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bat — the animal

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