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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. fall — to drop
  2. current — of water
  3. land — a country
  4. deal — to handle
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. degree — from a university
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. press — a publisher
  9. season — in sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. land — ground
  12. press — newspapers
  13. degree — an amount
  14. land — to come down
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. current — electric
  18. club — a group
  19. fall — the season
  20. season — of the year
  21. club — for golf
  22. fall — to drop
  23. press — to push
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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