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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. bat — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. net — for catching
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. scale — size or range
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. net — in sport
  19. press — to push
  20. press — a publisher
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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