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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. scale — in music
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — a group
  8. staff — employees
  9. ground — crushed
  10. press — a publisher
  11. bulb — for light
  12. scale — size or range
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. ground — a position
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. ground — the earth
  21. press — newspapers
  22. lie — to recline
  23. bulb — for light
  24. club — for golf

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