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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 120 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bass — low music
  4. net — after costs
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pit — in a race
  7. net — for catching
  8. press — a publisher
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pit — a hole
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. press — newspapers
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a friend
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mate — a partner
  20. press — to push
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bass — the instrument

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