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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pop — to visit
  5. bulb — for light
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bulb — for light
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pop — soda
  11. season — of the year
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — a weight
  14. press — a publisher
  15. press — newspapers
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — a group
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to click
  22. club — for golf
  23. pop — music
  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