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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 120 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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — to push
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. chest — a box
  7. chip — to eat
  8. staff — a stick
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bulb — for light
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. cap — of ice
  15. staff — employees
  16. wake — a trail
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. press — newspapers
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chest — of your body
  24. leaves — of a tree

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