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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pop — to visit
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. press — to push
  6. swing — in golf
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — in cards
  9. press — a publisher
  10. suit — clothes
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. swing — to play on
  15. current — of water
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — an illness
  18. suit — to fit
  19. swing — music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — music
  22. current — electric
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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