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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. current — electric
  3. current — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. current — happening now
  6. club — a group
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. press — newspapers
  10. club — for golf
  11. land — ground
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. club — for dancing
  18. press — to push
  19. land — to come down
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitch — completely
  24. land — a country

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