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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. rest — what's left
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — a path
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. rest — what's left
  7. present — the time now
  8. bulb — for light
  9. net — for catching
  10. press — newspapers
  11. press — to push
  12. present — there
  13. rest — a break
  14. net — in sport
  15. present — a gift
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. press — a publisher
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bulb — for light
  23. track — a song
  24. track — to keep track

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