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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. net — in sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. land — a country
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. net — for catching
  11. land — ground
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. land — to come down
  19. kid — child
  20. press — newspapers
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — a price
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. charge — in control

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