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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — for golf
  3. current — of water
  4. spring — of water
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. last — to go on
  7. club — a group
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bore — to tire
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bore — to drill
  13. last — final
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. spring — a coil
  18. current — happening now
  19. club — for dancing
  20. current — electric
  21. spring — the season
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — with a leg

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