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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. ball — a dance
  3. plane — a tool
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. press — a publisher
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. bat — the animal
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. press — to push
  12. foot — a measure
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wake — a trail
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — newspapers

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