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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 120 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. press — newspapers
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. file — a tool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bear — the animal
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — happening now
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. march — the month
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. file — a document
  16. current — electric
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. chair — a leader
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bear — the animal

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