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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: date · firm · face · press · toast · bass · bulb · rest

  1. The light ________________ burned out.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. press — to push
  4. firm — decided
  5. press — a publisher
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. face — part of the head
  8. firm — a company
  9. rest — what's left
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. date — the fruit
  12. face — to point toward
  13. rest — a break
  14. firm — steady
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. toast — bread
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. face — to confront
  23. bass — the fish
  24. date — on the calendar

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