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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. object — a thing
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — to push
  12. march — music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. current — happening now
  16. band — a ring
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — to sink
  19. current — of water
  20. band — a music group
  21. press — newspapers
  22. object — to protest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bowl — a football final

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