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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. lean — to bend
  7. bass — the fish
  8. net — for catching
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. craft — boats
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bass — low music
  14. press — a publisher
  15. craft — a skill
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. press — newspapers
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. net — in sport
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. lean — thin
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. press — to push

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