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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. date — the fruit
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chair — a leader
  6. last — final
  7. court — of law
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. court — for sport
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. last — finally
  13. dip — to sink
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bark — to shout
  16. court — of a king
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bulb — for light
  21. last — to go on
  22. press — to push
  23. press — a publisher
  24. dip — a sauce

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