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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. last — final
  3. charge — in control
  4. press — a publisher
  5. race — the arms race
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pound — a weight
  8. degree — an amount
  9. last — to go on
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fall — the season
  13. race — humankind
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. press — newspapers
  16. press — to push
  17. race — a contest
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fall — to drop
  22. degree — from a university
  23. charge — a price
  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