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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. current — electric
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — letters
  6. swing — to play on
  7. press — a publisher
  8. content — happy
  9. rule — a law
  10. rule — government
  11. root — of a plant
  12. content — the amount
  13. root — of a word
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. current — of water
  16. swing — in golf
  17. press — to push
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stem — to come from
  20. root — the cause
  21. press — newspapers
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stem — of a plant

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