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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mate — to breed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — newspapers
  5. bulb — for light
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. present — the time now
  10. press — to push
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. present — there
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — a friend
  15. bulb — for light
  16. band — a ring
  17. cell — a phone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rest — a break
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. band — a music group
  24. present — a gift

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