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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. press — a publisher
  3. cold — an illness
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rest — what's left
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — electric
  8. rock — music
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. rest — a break
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. cold — not warm
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. press — to push
  17. season — in sport
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — a stone
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. current — of water
  24. season — of the year

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