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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. current — happening now
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wind — moving air
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — shares
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — electric
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. file — a document
  23. stock — goods
  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