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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. season — of the year
  3. current — electric
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. press — to push
  6. key — the most important part
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. key — in music
  9. press — a publisher
  10. current — happening now
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. key — for a lock
  14. lean — to bend
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. press — newspapers
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — size or range
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. sharp — clever
  23. season — in sport
  24. scale — in music

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