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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. present — the time now
  6. can — to be able to
  7. wake — a trail
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. press — a publisher
  10. can — a tin
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. present — a gift
  15. bulb — for light
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. can — a tin
  18. press — to push
  19. squash — the sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — newspapers
  23. craft — boats
  24. present — there

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