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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. bat — the animal
  4. wake — a trail
  5. scale — size or range
  6. press — newspapers
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. stand — to bear
  9. current — happening now
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. current — electric
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. press — a publisher
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. current — of water
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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