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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: press · bat · toast · cell · bore · bulb · key · game

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. press — to push
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. toast — bread
  8. game — a match
  9. bulb — for light
  10. press — newspapers
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bulb — for light
  16. key — in music
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bore — to drill
  20. key — the most important part
  21. bore — to tire
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. press — a publisher
  24. game — wild animals

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