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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. press — a publisher
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. ball — a great time
  9. press — to push
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. lean — thin
  15. bulb — for light
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. march — music
  19. ball — a dance
  20. scale — in music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. press — newspapers
  23. march — the month
  24. lean — to bend

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