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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — happening now
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. press — to push
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — electric
  7. game — wild animals
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. current — of water
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. race — the arms race
  14. hand — help
  15. key — the most important part
  16. game — a match
  17. key — for a lock
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pound — a weight
  21. key — in music
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — for light
  24. hand — in cards

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