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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. press — a publisher
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. present — a gift
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. present — the time now
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. present — there
  12. staff — employees
  13. wound — an injury
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — after costs
  16. wound — an injury
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. row — a line
  19. pound — a weight
  20. net — for catching
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. press — to push
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. press — newspapers

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