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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. shower — rain
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — for sport
  7. press — to push
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. charge — electricity
  14. charge — in control
  15. current — of water
  16. field — farmland
  17. can — to be able to
  18. charge — a price
  19. shower — to wash
  20. press — newspapers
  21. field — a subject
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. march — music
  24. march — the month

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