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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. press — a publisher
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. press — to push
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. press — newspapers
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to click

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