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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. march — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. snap — to click
  6. cap — a hat
  7. march — the month
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. firm — decided
  10. press — to push
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. current — happening now
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bark — to shout
  17. band — a music group
  18. firm — a company
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. cap — of ice
  21. firm — steady
  22. band — a ring
  23. current — electric
  24. press — newspapers

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