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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spell — magic
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. spell — letters
  13. mug — a face
  14. pop — soda
  15. pop — music
  16. stock — goods
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. spell — a short time
  21. stock — shares
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — newspapers

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