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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. press — newspapers
  4. rock — music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fall — the season
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — letters
  10. shower — rain
  11. march — the month
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — a stone
  14. bulb — for light
  15. march — music
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — to push
  19. spell — magic
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — a short time
  22. fall — to drop
  23. kid — child
  24. bulb — for light

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