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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. net — after costs
  4. face — part of the head
  5. root — of a plant
  6. net — in sport
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — to confront
  9. face — to point toward
  10. press — to push
  11. net — for catching
  12. root — of a word
  13. key — the most important part
  14. root — the cause
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. key — for a lock
  19. press — newspapers
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. key — in music
  24. wave — with your hand

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