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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. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a plant
  2. mine — for digging
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rule — a law
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bulb — for light
  9. chip — for betting
  10. fine — all right
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. swing — to play on
  15. press — a publisher
  16. root — the cause
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. swing — music
  21. rule — government
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — to push

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