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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. rash — hasty
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. rash — a series
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bulb — for light
  8. present — there
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. present — a gift
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. club — for golf
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bulb — for light
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. club — for dancing
  19. press — a publisher
  20. club — a group
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. press — newspapers
  23. dip — to sink
  24. present — the time now

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