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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. scale — in music
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rash — a series
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. press — newspapers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. rash — hasty
  14. cue — a hint
  15. press — a publisher
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bear — the animal
  19. fall — to drop
  20. press — to push
  21. fall — to drop
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. bulb — for light

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