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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. press — a publisher
  3. net — in sport
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. snap — to click
  6. clip — to cut
  7. clip — a video
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. bore — to tire
  13. current — electric
  14. current — happening now
  15. press — to push
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. file — a document
  19. press — newspapers
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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