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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. wax — to grow
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. press — a publisher
  5. toast — bread
  6. present — a gift
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. press — to push
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. press — newspapers
  12. kick — in football
  13. pop — soda
  14. net — in sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. present — the time now
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — music
  22. present — there
  23. kick — with a leg
  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