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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — a series
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. swing — in golf
  7. staff — employees
  8. current — happening now
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bear — the animal
  13. current — of water
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bear — the animal
  20. current — electric
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. swing — 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