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

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — an illness
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. press — a publisher
  11. present — a gift
  12. ball — a dance
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. press — newspapers
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fall — to drop
  22. present — there
  23. present — the time now
  24. fall — the season

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