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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bulb — for light
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mug — a face
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mug — a cup
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chip — to eat
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. press — newspapers
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. degree — from a university
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mug — to rob
  19. chip — for betting
  20. press — to push
  21. mate — a friend
  22. degree — an amount
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. press — a publisher

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