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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — for sport
  4. press — to push
  5. stem — to come from
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. row — a line
  8. press — newspapers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — of a king
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. press — a publisher
  14. deal — to handle
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bulb — for light
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bulb — for light
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. court — of law
  24. row — to paddle

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