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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — a publisher
  5. degree — from a university
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — an injury
  10. current — of water
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. current — happening now
  24. press — to push

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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