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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bulb — for light
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. net — for catching
  6. current — happening now
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. field — a subject
  10. field — for sport
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. press — newspapers
  13. current — electric
  14. field — farmland
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. current — of water
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. press — a publisher
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — a trainer

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