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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. net — for catching
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. press — to push
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. net — in sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. net — after costs
  12. press — newspapers
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. swing — in golf
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. lean — thin

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