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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. date — the fruit
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. press — newspapers
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bulb — for light
  11. spring — of water
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. land — ground
  14. plane — a tool
  15. land — to come down
  16. spring — a coil
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. spring — the season
  21. land — a country
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. press — to push
  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