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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · cold · pass · kid · press · bulb · rush · race

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. race — humankind
  3. charge — in control
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. press — to push
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pass — a permit
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cold — not warm
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. kid — child
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. race — the arms race
  19. race — a contest
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bulb — for light
  22. charge — electricity
  23. press — newspapers
  24. charge — a price

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