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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. net — in sport
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — in sport
  9. current — of water
  10. net — for catching
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. current — electric
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. current — happening now
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. pit — in a race
  24. press — newspapers

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