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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. press — newspapers
  4. snap — to click
  5. bank — for money
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bulb — for light
  8. cap — a hat
  9. clip — a video
  10. cap — a lid
  11. clip — for paper
  12. bank — of a river
  13. kid — child
  14. clip — to cut
  15. press — to push
  16. cap — of ice
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bank — for money
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — a publisher
  24. kid — to tease

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