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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tear — to rip
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. tube — a container
  6. tear — from crying
  7. current — of water
  8. press — newspapers
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — to bear
  14. current — happening now
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. net — after costs
  18. press — a publisher
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. net — for catching
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. press — to push

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