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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. shower — to wash
  3. land — ground
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. snap — to click
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. press — a publisher
  10. press — to push
  11. bat — the animal
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. land — a country
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. land — to come down
  19. shower — rain
  20. rock — music
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bulb — for light
  24. can — to be able to

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