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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. press — to push
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. face — to point toward
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to confront
  12. wake — a trail
  13. game — a match
  14. swing — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — music
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pop — soda
  22. swing — to play on
  23. game — a kind of play
  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