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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. bulb — for light
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. bulb — for light
  5. land — a country
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. press — to push
  10. cap — of ice
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chest — of your body
  14. press — newspapers
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. land — to come down
  18. sharp — clever
  19. land — ground
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — a box
  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