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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. press — a publisher
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. club — for dancing
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bulb — for light
  15. capital — money
  16. club — for golf
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. capital — a city
  19. club — a group
  20. press — to push
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. cue — for pool

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