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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: bulb · press · bowl · squash · chest · mine · march · fine

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the sport
  10. march — music
  11. fine — all right
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. press — newspapers
  17. chest — a box
  18. march — the month
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. press — to push
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. fine — high quality

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