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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. band — a music group
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. charge — a price
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — the fruit
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. charge — electricity
  16. charge — in control
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. press — newspapers
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. press — to push
  22. band — a ring
  23. net — in sport
  24. mouse — for a computer

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