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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. bulb — for light
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rest — a break
  6. fall — to drop
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rest — what's left
  10. press — a publisher
  11. net — for catching
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — after costs
  17. fall — the season
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. saw — the tool
  20. press — to push
  21. wound — an injury
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. fall — to drop
  24. rest — what's left

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