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

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. face — to point toward
  3. mine — for digging
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. rule — a law
  6. face — to confront
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. scale — size or range
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. press — to push
  13. scale — in music
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rule — government
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bulb — for light
  18. roll — a list
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. roll — a cake
  23. press — newspapers
  24. face — part of the head

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