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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. sharp — clever
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. press — to push
  11. season — of the year
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — a publisher
  23. pit — a hole
  24. sharp — exactly

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