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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. rash — hasty
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. current — happening now
  5. staff — employees
  6. current — electric
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. hand — in cards
  9. present — a gift
  10. row — to paddle
  11. present — the time now
  12. press — newspapers
  13. present — there
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. row — a line
  16. press — a publisher
  17. hand — help
  18. press — to push
  19. staff — a stick
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — of water
  23. rash — a series
  24. nail — for a hammer

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