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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. net — after costs
  3. press — to push
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. net — in sport
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — a stone
  13. face — to confront
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. net — for catching
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — part of the head
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. fork — in a road
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — music
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. press — a publisher

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