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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — to eat
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bulb — for light
  7. face — to point toward
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. march — music
  15. mine — for digging
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. face — to confront
  22. press — to push
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bulb — for light

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