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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. press — to push
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. court — for sport
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. press — newspapers
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. press — a publisher
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to click
  12. current — electric
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. date — the fruit
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. field — a subject
  21. sharp — clever
  22. field — for sport
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. current — of water

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