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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. clip — to cut
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. clip — for paper
  9. current — happening now
  10. press — newspapers
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. clip — a video
  13. shower — rain
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. press — to push
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ground — a position
  18. shower — to wash
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. current — of water
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — crushed
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

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