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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 120 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. bulb — for light
  3. key — the most important part
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. press — newspapers
  6. press — to push
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. rest — a break
  11. capital — money
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. capital — a city
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rest — what's left
  19. key — for a lock
  20. row — a line
  21. rest — what's left
  22. bulb — for light
  23. press — a publisher
  24. key — in 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