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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — for light
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. last — to go on
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. last — finally
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rash — hasty
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. press — to push
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. rash — a series
  24. pass — to succeed

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