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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. file — a tool
  3. degree — an amount
  4. rest — a break
  5. current — electric
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. press — to push
  8. rest — what's left
  9. last — final
  10. last — to go on
  11. bear — the animal
  12. degree — temperature
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. press — a publisher
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a line of people
  17. degree — from a university
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bear — the animal
  20. vault — a safe
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a document

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