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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. suit — in cards
  3. last — final
  4. press — newspapers
  5. roll — a list
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — to go on
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. root — the cause
  10. kid — child
  11. root — of a word
  12. roll — a cake
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. suit — to fit
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. press — a publisher
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bulb — for light
  22. suit — clothes
  23. last — finally
  24. leaves — to go away

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