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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. press — newspapers
  4. court — of law
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. field — a subject
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. current — electric
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. current — of water
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. rule — government
  16. field — for sport
  17. press — a publisher
  18. press — to push
  19. field — farmland
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. current — happening now
  22. rule — a law
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — with your hand

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