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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — letters
  5. rule — a law
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. press — to push
  8. rule — government
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. bulb — for light
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bulb — for light
  15. track — a song
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — completely
  19. press — a publisher
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. pass — a permit
  24. spell — a short time

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