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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a line
  3. pop — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. charge — electricity
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. staff — employees
  8. pop — to visit
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. current — electric
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. charge — a price
  13. press — newspapers
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. staff — a stick
  16. row — to paddle
  17. press — to push
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. charge — in control
  20. pop — soda
  21. current — happening now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. current — of water

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