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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. snap — to click
  3. press — a publisher
  4. net — after costs
  5. press — to push
  6. root — of a word
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. lean — thin
  10. net — in sport
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mate — a partner
  13. root — the cause
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. band — a music group
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. press — newspapers
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — to bend
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mate — to breed
  23. mate — a friend
  24. season — to add flavour

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