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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. pitch — completely
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. press — a publisher
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. land — to come down
  8. cue — a signal
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cue — for pool
  12. land — a country
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pop — soda
  17. cue — a hint
  18. land — ground
  19. pop — music
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bulb — for light
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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