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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. current — electric
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — the tool
  5. kick — in football
  6. land — a country
  7. current — happening now
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. current — of water
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. land — to come down
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. press — newspapers
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. present — there
  22. wake — a trail
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. land — ground

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