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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. press — newspapers
  4. club — for golf
  5. current — happening now
  6. press — to push
  7. suit — to fit
  8. rash — hasty
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — of water
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a lid
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bat — the animal
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rash — a series
  21. kid — child
  22. club — a group
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. current — electric

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