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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — the tool
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bat — the animal
  7. current — happening now
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. current — electric
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bulb — for light
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. current — of water
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. mate — to breed

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