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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — for sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. bulb — for light
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. field — a subject
  10. current — electric
  11. net — after costs
  12. capital — a city
  13. press — newspapers
  14. press — to push
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. current — of water
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. net — in sport
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. capital — money
  21. field — farmland
  22. net — for catching
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. press — a publisher

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