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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. cold — not warm
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bulb — for light
  5. chip — for betting
  6. season — in sport
  7. bulb — for light
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. spell — letters
  11. press — newspapers
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — child
  14. spell — magic
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. season — of the year
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. kid — to tease
  20. chip — to eat
  21. spell — a short time
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cold — an illness
  24. press — to push

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