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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — for digging
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spell — a short time
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. chair — a leader
  8. mate — a friend
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bulb — for light
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. spell — magic
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. plane — a tool
  18. press — to push
  19. bulb — for light
  20. snap — to click
  21. spell — letters
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. press — a publisher
  24. plane — in geometry

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