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

Word bank: press · chair · firm · current · cap · dip · root · snap

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. current — of water
  3. current — happening now
  4. dip — to sink
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. chair — a leader
  7. current — electric
  8. cap — a lid
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. firm — a company
  11. press — newspapers
  12. firm — decided
  13. press — to push
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. root — of a plant
  16. cap — a hat
  17. snap — to click
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. root — of a word
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. firm — steady
  22. cap — of ice
  23. root — the cause
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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