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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. fine — high quality
  3. can — a tin
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — a publisher
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. press — newspapers
  9. clip — for paper
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. clip — a video
  12. wound — an injury
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — to cut
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. can — a tin
  20. current — electric
  21. current — happening now
  22. can — to be able to
  23. fine — all right
  24. straw — a straw man

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