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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. press — to push
  3. bank — for money
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pit — a hole
  8. press — newspapers
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. wind — moving air
  11. scale — in music
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. current — of water
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bank — of a river
  18. press — a publisher
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. current — electric
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. current — happening now
  24. bank — for money

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