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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: bulb · land · ball · press · pop · snap · bound · race

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bulb — for light
  3. land — ground
  4. ball — a dance
  5. race — the arms race
  6. bound — certain
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bound — obliged
  9. press — to push
  10. snap — to click
  11. ball — a great time
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. bulb — for light
  16. race — a contest
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. press — a publisher
  19. bound — tied together
  20. press — newspapers
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. land — to come down
  24. race — humankind

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