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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. squash — to crush
  7. current — electric
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. rock — music
  13. squash — the sport
  14. current — of water
  15. press — a publisher
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — a short time
  20. press — newspapers
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — magic
  24. current — happening now

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