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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. bulb — for light
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. face — to confront
  5. pit — in a race
  6. file — a document
  7. bulb — for light
  8. rush — hurry
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. file — a tool
  12. march — music
  13. face — part of the head
  14. press — newspapers
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. press — to push
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. march — the month

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