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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 120 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · bulb · key · mark · bat · chip · press · rest

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — of a king
  8. press — newspapers
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bat — the animal
  11. court — of law
  12. bulb — for light
  13. press — to push
  14. key — the most important part
  15. rest — what's left
  16. mark — a grade
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. press — a publisher
  20. chip — to eat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. key — in music
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. key — for a lock

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