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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. bat — the animal
  3. press — a publisher
  4. firm — a company
  5. roll — a cake
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. press — newspapers
  8. roll — a list
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. rest — what's left
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. land — a country
  15. land — ground
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — steady
  19. bulb — for light
  20. rest — a break
  21. firm — decided
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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