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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
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: swing · season · foot · court · press · fork · bulb · file

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. season — in sport
  3. press — to push
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — in golf
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. swing — music
  10. press — newspapers
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. court — of law
  16. press — a publisher
  17. fork — in a road
  18. season — of the year
  19. bulb — for light
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. file — a document
  23. swing — to play on
  24. file — a line of people

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