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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. spell — letters
  4. press — newspapers
  5. scale — in music
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. roll — a cake
  8. key — in music
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — in sport
  11. press — to push
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. net — after costs
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. roll — a list
  16. key — for a lock
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — for catching
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. spell — magic
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. key — the most important part
  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