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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — in music
  4. press — newspapers
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — help
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — to push
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. scale — size or range
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — a match
  20. hand — in cards
  21. net — after costs
  22. press — a publisher
  23. net — for catching
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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