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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pop — to visit
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. staff — employees
  5. tear — to rip
  6. staff — a stick
  7. press — to push
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — of water
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. march — music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — soda
  16. tear — from crying
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — electric
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. press — newspapers
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. pop — 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