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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. clip — a video
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. bulb — for light
  7. clip — to cut
  8. fine — all right
  9. bulb — for light
  10. clip — for paper
  11. pop — soda
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. press — a publisher
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pop — to visit
  21. press — newspapers
  22. pop — music
  23. prune — to trim
  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