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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. current — happening now
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. press — to push
  5. current — of water
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. mug — a face
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mug — to rob
  11. current — electric
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — in football
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fall — the season
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — to drop
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cabinet — ministers

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