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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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 — of ice
  4. tube — the underground
  5. track — a song
  6. pop — to visit
  7. stem — to come from
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mark — a grade
  10. pop — soda
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. press — a publisher
  13. track — a path
  14. cap — a lid
  15. net — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. pop — music
  21. tube — a container
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. press — newspapers
  24. mark — a trace

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