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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. last — finally
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — final
  5. press — a publisher
  6. current — electric
  7. current — happening now
  8. lean — thin
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. last — to go on
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. capital — a city
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. sharp — clever
  15. current — of water
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. lean — to bend
  20. dip — to sink
  21. capital — money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. press — to push
  24. press — newspapers

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