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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. drill — a practice
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. land — a country
  6. drill — the tool
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — newspapers
  9. drill — army training
  10. press — to push
  11. net — after costs
  12. season — of the year
  13. press — a publisher
  14. land — ground
  15. mate — to breed
  16. land — to come down
  17. mate — a partner
  18. net — in sport

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