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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 120 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bank — for money
  3. ground — a position
  4. chip — to eat
  5. current — happening now
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cap — a hat
  10. press — to push
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bank — for money
  17. current — electric
  18. cap — of ice
  19. current — of water
  20. bank — of a river
  21. press — newspapers
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cap — a lid
  24. ground — crushed

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