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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — happening now
  3. press — a publisher
  4. row — to paddle
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a line of people
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. press — to push
  14. row — a line
  15. file — a tool
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — certain
  21. court — of law
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a document

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