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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. current — happening now
  3. present — there
  4. staff — employees
  5. press — a publisher
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — the sport
  9. press — to push
  10. club — for dancing
  11. current — electric
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. staff — employees
  17. press — newspapers
  18. saw — the tool
  19. current — of water
  20. club — a group
  21. pop — to visit
  22. present — a gift
  23. staff — a stick
  24. saw — the tool

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