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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. current — happening now
  4. hand — in cards
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hand — help
  11. press — to push
  12. rush — hurry
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. staff — a stick
  15. chair — a leader
  16. staff — employees
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. press — newspapers
  19. current — of water
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pass — a permit
  24. press — a publisher

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