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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. row — a line
  3. drill — the tool
  4. bulb — for light
  5. last — finally
  6. current — of water
  7. drill — army training
  8. press — to push
  9. can — a tin
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. can — to be able to
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. current — electric
  17. row — to paddle
  18. bulb — for light
  19. current — happening now
  20. last — final
  21. cell — in biology
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. drill — a practice

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