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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bulb — for light
  6. drill — a practice
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — to crush
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. drill — army training
  11. press — to push
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. mug — to rob
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mug — a face
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mug — a cup
  20. suit — to fit
  21. press — a publisher
  22. suit — clothes
  23. press — newspapers
  24. suit — in cards

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