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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. prune — to trim
  3. key — for a lock
  4. prune — to trim
  5. rock — a stone
  6. march — music
  7. key — in music
  8. rock — music
  9. chip — to eat
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. press — to push
  15. chip — for betting
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. press — newspapers
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bulb — for light
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. march — the month
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. prune — the fruit

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