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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. spell — letters
  3. capital — money
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. capital — a city
  9. press — newspapers
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. press — to push
  13. pass — a permit
  14. spell — a short time
  15. land — to come down
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. land — ground
  19. press — a publisher
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — magic
  22. bulb — for light
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pass — to succeed

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