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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 120 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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. last — final
  7. bulb — for light
  8. press — a publisher
  9. spell — letters
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. tear — from crying
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. press — to push
  19. rock — music
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. press — newspapers
  24. racket — for tennis

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