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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pop — to visit
  6. tear — to rip
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. press — a publisher
  9. staff — employees
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. field — farmland
  13. press — newspapers
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. staff — employees
  16. field — a subject
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — for digging
  19. field — for sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. pop — soda
  23. bulb — for light
  24. pop — music

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