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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. net — in sport
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cell — a phone
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. net — for catching
  10. cell — in biology
  11. race — humankind
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — a contest
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. net — after costs
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. press — to push
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — of ice

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