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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cap — a lid
  3. rash — a series
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. rock — a stone
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — in sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. cap — a hat
  10. press — newspapers
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bulb — for light
  13. charge — a price
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — for light
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rock — music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. net — for catching
  24. press — to push

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