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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — after costs
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. press — to push
  5. bear — the animal
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. net — in sport
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. march — the month
  13. hand — in cards
  14. march — music
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. roll — a list
  17. press — newspapers
  18. hand — help
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. march — the month
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bear — the animal

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