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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. current — happening now
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. cap — a hat
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. press — to push
  7. current — of water
  8. race — the arms race
  9. chair — a leader
  10. race — a contest
  11. chip — to eat
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. chip — for betting
  14. press — a publisher
  15. race — humankind
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. drill — the tool
  18. cap — a lid
  19. dip — to sink
  20. drill — army training
  21. cap — of ice
  22. current — electric
  23. press — newspapers
  24. chair — a professorship

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