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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. mine — for digging
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — thin
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — a contest
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. press — a publisher
  16. bulb — for light
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. race — humankind
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. press — to push
  24. race — the arms race

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