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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. object — to protest
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. game — a match
  6. season — of the year
  7. press — to push
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. season — in sport
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wake — a trail
  13. shower — rain
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — for digging
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. net — in sport
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — an aim
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. shower — to wash
  23. game — wild animals
  24. net — for catching

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