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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. face — part of the head
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ground — the earth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. ground — a position
  10. net — in sport
  11. face — to point toward
  12. press — newspapers
  13. face — to confront
  14. bulb — for light
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ground — crushed
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — after costs

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