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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 124 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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. press — a publisher
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — of your body
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. chest — a box
  13. key — the most important part
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bulb — for light
  17. present — the time now
  18. chest — of your body
  19. press — newspapers
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bulb — for light
  22. press — to push
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in 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