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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
468
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: rash · cold · suit · chest · bound · press · current · cell

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. current — of water
  4. bound — tied together
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bound — obliged
  7. chest — of your body
  8. current — electric
  9. current — happening now
  10. bound — certain
  11. suit — clothes
  12. cold — not warm
  13. rash — a series
  14. press — to push
  15. suit — to fit
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chest — a box
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chest — of your body
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cell — a phone

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