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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. bulb — for light
  3. rule — government
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. press — to push
  6. last — finally
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — an injury
  9. dip — to sink
  10. press — newspapers
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. march — the month
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. snap — to click
  16. march — the month
  17. last — to go on
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. press — a publisher
  21. march — music
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. wound — an injury

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