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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — the season
  3. game — a match
  4. kick — in football
  5. prune — to trim
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. press — to push
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. rule — government
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. rule — a law
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. spring — of water
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — for light
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — a coil
  20. chair — a leader
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. press — newspapers
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. prune — to trim

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