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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. spring — of water
  3. bulb — for light
  4. face — part of the head
  5. club — for golf
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. spring — the season
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. press — newspapers
  19. chair — a leader
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. face — to point toward
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. nail — for a hammer

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