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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bulb — for light
  6. scale — size or range
  7. last — final
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. chip — for betting
  11. press — to push
  12. last — to go on
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mark — a grade
  17. scale — in music
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. face — to point toward
  21. face — to confront
  22. chip — to eat
  23. press — newspapers
  24. last — finally

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