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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. press — to push
  5. cold — an illness
  6. staff — employees
  7. pop — music
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. press — newspapers
  10. bulb — for light
  11. court — for sport
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. court — of law
  14. press — a publisher
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pop — to visit
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pop — soda
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. dip — to sink
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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