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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. cell — in biology
  6. press — newspapers
  7. cell — a phone
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bulb — for light
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bass — low music
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. mug — a face
  24. cell — in a prison

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