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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. row — a line
  4. current — electric
  5. swing — music
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. press — a publisher
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. degree — an amount
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lie — to recline
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — from a university
  17. wind — moving air
  18. press — newspapers
  19. vault — a safe
  20. press — to push
  21. current — of water
  22. degree — temperature
  23. swing — to play on
  24. row — to paddle

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