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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. press — a publisher
  3. current — of water
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. press — newspapers
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bat — the animal
  9. current — happening now
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. court — of a king
  15. press — to push
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. court — of law
  22. court — for sport
  23. current — electric
  24. track — a song

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