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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fall — the season
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. foot — a measure
  5. pop — to visit
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. pop — soda
  10. fall — to drop
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pop — music
  14. fork — in a road
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. snap — to click
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — electric
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pass — a permit

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