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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — wild animals
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fall — to drop
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. face — to confront
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. press — to push
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. current — electric
  17. face — part of the head
  18. game — a match
  19. face — to point toward
  20. press — a publisher
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — the season
  24. current — happening now

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