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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. press — a publisher
  3. sharp — clever
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. current — electric
  6. press — to push
  7. craft — boats
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — a skill
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. current — of water
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. current — happening now
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mine — for digging

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