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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 120 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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. bulb — for light
  4. charge — electricity
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. club — for golf
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — a group
  12. press — newspapers
  13. ground — the earth
  14. last — final
  15. press — to push
  16. saw — the tool
  17. last — to go on
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — in control
  20. last — finally
  21. press — a publisher
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. charge — a price

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