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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 flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. spring — of water
  5. press — to push
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — completely
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mate — to breed
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bulb — for light
  19. mate — a partner
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — newspapers
  22. bulb — for light
  23. spring — a coil
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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