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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bass — the fish
  3. net — in sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. press — to push
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. press — a publisher
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to click
  18. net — for catching

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