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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. press — newspapers
  4. spring — of water
  5. field — farmland
  6. can — to be able to
  7. bat — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. club — a group
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. can — a tin
  12. field — a subject
  13. press — a publisher
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bulb — for light
  22. field — for sport
  23. bulb — for light
  24. press — to push

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