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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tear — from crying
  3. press — to push
  4. press — newspapers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rock — a stone
  7. rock — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bulb — for light
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cell — a phone
  24. press — a publisher

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