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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 116 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. press — a publisher
  3. ball — a dance
  4. press — newspapers
  5. current — of water
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. drill — army training
  9. present — there
  10. present — the time now
  11. current — happening now
  12. present — a gift
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. shower — rain
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — to wash
  20. band — a music group
  21. band — a ring
  22. press — to push
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stand — to bear

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