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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bulb — for light
  5. press — to push
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pit — in a race
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. bulb — for light
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pit — a hole
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. press — newspapers
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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