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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. shower — to wash
  3. charge — in control
  4. prune — to trim
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. press — newspapers
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spring — a coil
  10. charge — a price
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. spring — of water
  17. charge — electricity
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. shower — rain
  20. press — a publisher
  21. spring — the season
  22. net — after costs
  23. press — to push
  24. net — in 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