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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. current — electric
  3. spell — magic
  4. press — newspapers
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wax — to grow
  11. current — happening now
  12. capital — a city
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spell — letters
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — to push
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in 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