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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 116 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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. march — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. press — to push
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bulb — for light
  14. net — after costs
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. press — newspapers
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. press — a publisher
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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