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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. tube — the underground
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. face — to confront
  6. mark — a trace
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. tube — a container
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pitch — completely
  15. squash — to crush
  16. current — of water
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wind — moving air
  20. press — newspapers
  21. current — happening now
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. face — to point toward
  24. press — to push

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