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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. press — to push
  4. current — happening now
  5. squash — to crush
  6. spring — the season
  7. march — music
  8. press — a publisher
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spring — of water
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. march — the month
  14. squash — the sport
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a face
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. current — electric
  20. press — newspapers
  21. spring — a coil
  22. march — the month
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. squash — the vegetable

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