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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. press — newspapers
  4. clip — to cut
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mine — for digging
  13. charge — electricity
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. clip — for paper
  17. charge — in control
  18. clip — a video
  19. press — a publisher
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. press — to push
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mine — an explosive

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