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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. suit — clothes
  3. prune — to trim
  4. press — to push
  5. capital — money
  6. suit — to fit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. press — a publisher
  9. capital — a city
  10. net — for catching
  11. wind — moving air
  12. suit — in cards
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. net — in sport
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. net — after costs

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