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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. club — a group
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rock — music
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. current — electric
  7. capital — money
  8. lean — thin
  9. club — for dancing
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pop — to visit
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. press — a publisher
  15. current — of water
  16. rash — a series
  17. current — happening now
  18. capital — a city
  19. pop — soda
  20. press — newspapers
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rock — a stone
  23. press — to push
  24. pop — music

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