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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. bore — to drill
  6. fall — the season
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. current — electric
  9. rash — a series
  10. press — a publisher
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. press — to push
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. snap — to click
  17. current — happening now
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. rash — hasty
  21. spell — a short time
  22. press — newspapers
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitch — completely

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