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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rest — a break
  3. current — of water
  4. fine — high quality
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. rest — what's left
  12. current — electric
  13. pop — to visit
  14. fine — all right
  15. season — in sport
  16. chair — a leader
  17. season — of the year
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rest — what's left
  21. current — happening now
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. press — newspapers

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