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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bass — low music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. cold — not warm
  10. net — in sport
  11. mate — a partner
  12. press — newspapers
  13. club — for dancing
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. club — for golf
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cold — an illness
  20. club — a group
  21. net — for catching
  22. press — to push
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. press — a publisher

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