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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — electric
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. press — to push
  5. hand — in cards
  6. current — happening now
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — clever
  12. press — newspapers
  13. present — there
  14. current — of water
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. hand — help
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. press — a publisher
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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