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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. current — of water
  3. press — to push
  4. file — a line of people
  5. press — newspapers
  6. current — happening now
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. file — a document
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. current — electric
  11. game — a match
  12. march — music
  13. march — the month
  14. file — a tool
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. march — the month
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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