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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bulb — for light
  3. last — finally
  4. drill — the tool
  5. current — electric
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. swing — music
  8. press — to push
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — newspapers
  11. season — of the year
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. current — happening now
  14. season — in sport
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. swing — in golf
  17. current — of water
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — final
  20. drill — a practice
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bulb — for light
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. deal — to handle

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