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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: pitcher · face · straw · press · current · chip · object · key

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. object — to protest
  4. key — for a lock
  5. current — electric
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. key — in music
  8. object — an aim
  9. current — of water
  10. object — a thing
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. key — the most important part
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — to push
  16. face — to confront
  17. press — newspapers
  18. face — to point toward
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. face — part of the head
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. press — a publisher

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