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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. scale — size or range
  3. pitch — completely
  4. press — to push
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. scale — in music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. press — a publisher
  15. net — for catching
  16. ball — a dance
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pit — a hole
  19. press — newspapers
  20. net — in sport
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pit — in a race
  24. net — after costs

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