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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. spell — magic
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. march — music
  5. spell — letters
  6. bulb — for light
  7. rock — music
  8. press — newspapers
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pit — a hole
  15. spell — a short time
  16. march — the month
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. march — the month
  24. press — a publisher

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