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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. swing — to play on
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. press — a publisher
  10. season — of the year
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ball — a great time
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. ball — a dance
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. press — to push
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — newspapers
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — 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