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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. track — to keep track
  3. net — in sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. mate — to breed
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. net — after costs
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. press — a publisher
  12. press — to push
  13. net — for catching
  14. court — of a king
  15. mate — a partner
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. band — a ring
  18. track — a song
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to click
  21. track — a path
  22. court — of law
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — for sport

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