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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — the month
  6. game — a match
  7. cell — in biology
  8. press — to push
  9. march — music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fine — high quality
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — all right
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. bulb — for light
  20. press — a publisher
  21. march — the month
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hide — to keep secret

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