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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — for light
  4. key — in music
  5. press — to push
  6. press — newspapers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. face — to confront
  10. prune — to trim
  11. face — part of the head
  12. game — wild animals
  13. key — the most important part
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — to point toward
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. shower — rain
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bulb — for light
  21. board — to get on
  22. key — for a lock
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. game — a match

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