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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. press — to push
  3. pop — soda
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — in control
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — hurry
  12. cell — in biology
  13. root — the cause
  14. root — of a word
  15. press — newspapers
  16. pop — to visit
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — a phone
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. press — a publisher
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — 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