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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 like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kid — child
  4. shower — rain
  5. spell — a short time
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. press — to push
  11. lean — to bend
  12. spell — magic
  13. lean — thin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. shower — to wash
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. spell — letters
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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