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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bulb — for light
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — to push
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — a publisher
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. ball — a dance
  13. mate — a friend
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. kick — in football
  21. wax — to grow
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. net — for catching

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