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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. clip — for paper
  3. clip — a video
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. charge — in control
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. charge — a price
  10. cold — an illness
  11. clip — to cut
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. key — for a lock
  16. cold — not warm
  17. lean — thin
  18. key — the most important part
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — to push
  21. key — in music
  22. lean — to bend
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — electricity

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