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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. file — a document
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. snap — to click
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. bulb — for light
  15. file — a tool
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — to push
  18. mine — for digging
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. press — a publisher
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. perch — the fish

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