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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. can — a tin
  3. press — newspapers
  4. present — the time now
  5. chest — of your body
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. current — of water
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. chest — a box
  11. press — a publisher
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. press — to push
  16. present — there
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. can — to be able to
  20. present — a gift
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. current — electric
  24. can — a tin

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