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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. press — newspapers
  8. pit — a hole
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — of the year
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pit — in a race
  15. staff — employees
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. staff — employees
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — rain
  24. pass — a permit

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