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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. current — electric
  3. current — happening now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. press — a publisher
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. club — for golf
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. club — a group
  15. press — to push
  16. plane — a tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. current — of water
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. club — for dancing

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