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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. current — happening now
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. season — of the year
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cold — an illness
  11. current — electric
  12. season — in sport
  13. mark — a grade
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. sharp — clever
  18. current — of water
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cold — not warm
  24. sharp — exactly

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