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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. net — for catching
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. press — to push
  7. pitch — completely
  8. bound — certain
  9. bear — the animal
  10. press — a publisher
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. cap — of ice
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bound — tied together
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. net — in sport
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. press — newspapers
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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