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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. degree — temperature
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. cell — a phone
  8. pass — a permit
  9. season — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. press — newspapers
  13. season — of the year
  14. degree — an amount
  15. press — to push
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bark — to shout
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. press — a publisher

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