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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. dip — to sink
  3. press — a publisher
  4. field — farmland
  5. current — happening now
  6. field — a subject
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. current — of water
  9. cell — in biology
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. vault — a safe
  13. press — newspapers
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — electric
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. stock — goods
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wind — moving air
  21. stock — shares
  22. field — for sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cell — in a prison

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