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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wind · rush · foot · dip · press · bat · straw · current

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. rush — hurry
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. foot — a measure
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. current — happening now
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. press — to push
  10. dip — to sink
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. current — of water
  13. current — electric
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. wind — moving air
  17. press — a publisher
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bat — the animal

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