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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. leaves — of a tree
  2. last — final
  3. land — a country
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. press — a publisher
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. land — to come down
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. mate — to breed
  10. last — finally
  11. season — of the year
  12. bulb — for light
  13. season — in sport
  14. land — ground
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mate — a friend
  21. last — to go on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — to push
  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