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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. race — humankind
  3. cold — an illness
  4. press — a publisher
  5. band — a ring
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cold — not warm
  9. band — a music group
  10. suit — in cards
  11. current — happening now
  12. current — electric
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. press — to push
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — a container
  17. pop — music
  18. race — a contest
  19. suit — clothes
  20. press — newspapers
  21. suit — to fit
  22. pop — to visit
  23. race — the arms race
  24. pop — soda

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