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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. ground — crushed
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bank — for money
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — in sport
  7. press — to push
  8. board — to get on
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. press — newspapers
  14. bank — for money
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — for catching
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. press — a publisher
  19. ground — a position
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bank — of a river

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