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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. face — to point toward
  3. press — to push
  4. chip — to eat
  5. bulb — for light
  6. press — a publisher
  7. cap — a lid
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. field — a subject
  11. pop — to visit
  12. chip — for betting
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. field — for sport
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — farmland
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pop — music
  21. press — newspapers
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. bulb — of a plant

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