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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. season — in sport
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — electric
  6. press — newspapers
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. can — a tin
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — a hint
  11. content — the amount
  12. cue — for pool
  13. content — happy
  14. press — a publisher
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. season — of the year
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. current — of water
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. press — to push

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