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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · current · bowl · cell · press · drill

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. 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. current — of water
  2. current — happening now
  3. press — a publisher
  4. drill — a practice
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — the tool
  8. current — electric
  9. drill — army training
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. press — to push
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. 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