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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — hurry
  3. press — a publisher
  4. mate — a friend
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a line of people
  7. rock — music
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mate — a partner
  12. rock — a stone
  13. press — to push
  14. file — a tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. press — newspapers
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a document
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bark — to shout
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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