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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — a publisher
  4. scale — size or range
  5. current — of water
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — for catching
  8. current — happening now
  9. content — happy
  10. bank — for money
  11. press — to push
  12. scale — in music
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bear — the animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bank — for money
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bank — of a river
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. net — after costs
  21. content — the amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. current — electric
  24. net — in sport

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