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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — to visit
  4. capital — money
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. press — to push
  7. pop — music
  8. tube — the underground
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. capital — a city
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. press — a publisher
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — army training
  20. press — newspapers
  21. pop — soda
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — certain
  24. bulb — for light

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