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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: press · object · current · straw · kid · clip · jam · swing

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. current — happening now
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. kid — child
  8. object — to protest
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. swing — to play on
  11. current — of water
  12. clip — to cut
  13. swing — music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. current — electric
  16. press — to push
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — for paper
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. swing — in golf
  22. press — newspapers
  23. object — a thing
  24. kid — to tease

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