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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. land — a country
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. bulb — for light
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. press — newspapers
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. charge — in control
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. shower — rain
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bulb — for light
  14. land — ground
  15. press — a publisher
  16. court — of law
  17. charge — electricity
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. land — to come down
  23. press — to push
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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