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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. spring — the season
  3. bound — certain
  4. press — to push
  5. mark — a trace
  6. press — newspapers
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. current — of water
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bound — obliged
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. bark — to shout
  18. current — electric
  19. spring — of water
  20. mark — a grade
  21. spring — a coil
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bound — tied together

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