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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 water is too ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bulb — for light
  3. track — a song
  4. season — in sport
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. season — of the year
  8. deal — to handle
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. track — a path
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. press — to push
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — newspapers
  18. track — to keep track
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mouse — the animal

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