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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. bass — the fish
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pitch — completely
  5. press — a publisher
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. last — final
  10. current — happening now
  11. bass — low music
  12. press — to push
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. press — newspapers
  16. last — to go on
  17. tube — the underground
  18. tear — from crying
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — a match
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. tube — a container

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