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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a great time
  5. field — for sport
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chair — a leader
  10. field — a subject
  11. ball — a dance
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. press — a publisher
  14. content — the amount
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. press — to push
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — farmland
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. content — happy
  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