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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. fall — to drop
  3. press — to push
  4. current — happening now
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. swing — music
  7. current — of water
  8. current — electric
  9. swing — to play on
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — a publisher
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wake — a trail
  14. swing — in golf
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. fall — to drop
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. clip — for paper
  21. clip — a video
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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