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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bulb — for light
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. mark — a grade
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. clip — for paper
  9. press — newspapers
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — a match
  13. mark — a trace
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — clever
  16. press — a publisher
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. clip — a video
  19. press — to push
  20. deal — to handle
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bulb — for light
  23. clip — to cut
  24. mark — to pay attention

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