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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 120 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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. press — newspapers
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. net — after costs
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rash — a series
  10. rash — hasty
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. press — to push
  16. dip — to sink
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spring — the season
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pit — in a race
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. dip — a sauce

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