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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — electric
  4. press — a publisher
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. current — of water
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bound — tied together
  12. chip — to eat
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. bound — obliged
  15. row — a line
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. chip — for betting
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. current — happening now
  21. row — to paddle
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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