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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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. march — music
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. press — newspapers
  9. current — electric
  10. club — a group
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — in a race
  13. current — happening now
  14. press — to push
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. root — of a word
  19. march — the month
  20. root — the cause
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pit — a hole
  23. march — the month
  24. current — of water

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