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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. current — electric
  9. wind — moving air
  10. key — for a lock
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — a break
  14. key — the most important part
  15. press — a publisher
  16. current — of water
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — to push
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. rest — what's left
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — in a race
  23. saw — the tool
  24. press — newspapers

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