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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mark — a trace
  4. rest — a break
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. press — newspapers
  7. march — the month
  8. current — electric
  9. bass — low music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. march — music
  12. chair — a leader
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. spring — the season
  19. press — to push
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — the fish
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. rest — what's left

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