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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. current — electric
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. current — of water
  5. press — newspapers
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. press — to push
  10. sharp — clever
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. swing — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. swing — in golf
  16. press — a publisher
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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