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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. rock — music
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. press — newspapers
  11. row — to paddle
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. press — to push
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — for light
  19. band — a ring
  20. pit — in a race
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — a line
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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