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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.

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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: mark · jam · press · chair · bulb · net · field · cabinet

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. bulb — for light
  3. press — newspapers
  4. mark — a trace
  5. net — after costs
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. field — for sport
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. field — farmland
  14. field — a subject
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. press — to push
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. chair — a leader
  24. press — a publisher

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