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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wake — a trail
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. chair — a leader
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. press — to push
  12. press — newspapers
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — happy
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. rule — government
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — the amount
  20. date — the fruit
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. plane — a tool
  24. press — a publisher

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