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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. game — a match
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. land — to come down
  7. press — to push
  8. mug — to rob
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. press — a publisher
  13. bulb — for light
  14. mug — a face
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. mug — a cup
  17. game — wild animals
  18. chair — a leader
  19. land — ground
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — a country
  22. bear — the animal
  23. press — newspapers
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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