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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. current — electric
  3. press — to push
  4. net — for catching
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. press — newspapers
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. current — of water
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — soda
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lean — thin
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. net — in sport
  20. current — happening now
  21. net — after costs
  22. lean — to bend
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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