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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. last — to go on
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. chair — a leader
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bank — of a river
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. capital — a city
  11. bank — for money
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. capital — money
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. last — finally
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. current — electric
  23. last — final
  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