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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. press — newspapers
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. present — the time now
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. press — to push
  13. bulb — for light
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. present — there
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pass — a permit
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. snap — to click
  22. wake — a trail
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — a gift

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