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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 124 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — to push
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — a publisher
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pass — a permit
  11. scale — size or range
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — music
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. hand — help
  21. press — newspapers
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. scale — in music

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