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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. net — after costs
  3. face — to point toward
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. scale — size or range
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rest — what's left
  9. press — a publisher
  10. scale — in music
  11. shower — rain
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. net — for catching
  14. rest — a break
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rest — what's left
  17. cue — for pool
  18. face — to confront
  19. press — newspapers
  20. face — part of the head
  21. press — to push
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. net — in sport

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