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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — help
  5. press — a publisher
  6. capital — a city
  7. track — a song
  8. can — a tin
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — newspapers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. track — a path
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. capital — money
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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