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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — to push
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. tube — the underground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pass — a permit
  10. net — for catching
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — of the year
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. press — newspapers
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. last — finally
  19. dip — to sink
  20. tube — a container
  21. last — to go on
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — final
  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