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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. hand — help
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. game — wild animals
  7. field — for sport
  8. bulb — for light
  9. field — a subject
  10. hand — in cards
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rule — a law
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — government
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. game — a match
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bass — low music
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. field — farmland

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