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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a leader
  4. press — a publisher
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. press — newspapers
  12. current — of water
  13. drill — a practice
  14. current — electric
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. press — to push
  17. current — happening now
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. band — a ring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. band — a music group
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. ruler — for measuring

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