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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. mug — a face
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — there
  5. swing — to play on
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. hand — help
  12. press — to push
  13. swing — music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. mate — to breed
  16. net — for catching
  17. hand — in cards
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stand — to bear
  22. mate — a friend
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mug — to rob

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