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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. sharp — clever
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — to drill
  9. current — happening now
  10. current — electric
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pop — music
  13. bore — to tire
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. pop — soda
  19. march — the month
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. pop — to visit

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