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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: rule · pit · staff · current · press · cap · chest · stick

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. chest — of your body
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rule — government
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cap — of ice
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a lid
  13. press — to push
  14. pit — a hole
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — electric
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. current — of water
  19. cap — a hat
  20. rule — a law
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. chest — a box
  23. staff — employees
  24. rule — to rule out

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