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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. game — a match
  5. current — of water
  6. press — a publisher
  7. current — happening now
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — to push
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. chip — to eat
  14. rock — music
  15. game — wild animals
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — a series
  18. current — electric
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. chip — for betting
  23. pit — a hole
  24. chip — in a computer

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