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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 124 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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — happening now
  6. press — to push
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chest — of your body
  9. current — electric
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. press — a publisher
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. degree — temperature
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chest — of your body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — a subject
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. degree — from a university
  23. field — farmland
  24. fork — in a road

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