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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. pop — music
  3. pop — soda
  4. net — for catching
  5. pit — in a race
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — help
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — a thing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pop — to visit
  12. net — in sport
  13. hand — in cards
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — an aim
  17. press — newspapers
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — a hole
  21. press — a publisher
  22. land — a country
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — part of the body

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